A MEGA Hot Birding Day, and a Very 'Bootiful' Day!

ICTERINE WARBLER

Halfway House, Blakeney Point

A MEGA DAY IN NORFOLK!!!

What a fabulous day – it was so exciting to be out in the field when there was so much to see and potentially find!

Pouring with rain in King's Lynn and I got soaked just getting the gear into the car! I couldn't decide whether to go to Holme for a change or head to Cley. It's certainly a good job I didn't wait for any news to come out from Holme before I left, as there was no news from the reserves until 7.45pm! I decided to head to one of my favourite places to search for migrants, Blakeney Point! I had full intentions of walking Blakeney Point today anyway, I don't know why I was hovering about where I was going! That RBA pager was on fire today! As I drove along, news of a Wryneck came up at Gramborough Hill, Salthouse, so I made this my first stop.

Gramborough Hill, Salthouse
The carpark was packed out, but I managed to find a space. Walked up to Gramborough Hill to join other birders and watched the Wryneck skulking about, half way up a very small pine tree, fabulous to see, but certainly not showing well when I was there. I only managed a smudgy record shot on the camera. I noticed this evening, that Steve G. has got a fab picture when it was obviously showing very well! There were an unbelievable 6 Whinchats all sitting together on the fence wire!!! I can't remember ever seeing six together, what a fabulous sight! A single Stonechat joined them and almost seemed insignificant amongst them. There was a pussmoth and a popular hawkmoth caterpillar by the bushes on the hill and peering into the bush with another birder we watched a Pied Flycatcher also skulking about in the middle of the bush, only yards away! No pictures obtained though. I sat on the hill looking down on these bushes for ages hoping for a picture of that Pied Fly, but no luck with that.

Walsey Hills NOA
A Whimbrel called as it flew over the steps. A Blackcap was 'tacking' along the bottom path and there was a chiffchaff calling, few chaffinches and a female blackcap skulking in the bottom willow, but surprisingly nothing else more exciting in here. Walsey Hills is a good spot for Pied Flys, but not today! It is extremely overgrown around the reserve with the recent, heavy rain. Wont' be long before the bracken has crossed over along the bottom path again.

Cley Coastguards
Eddie, Pete and I were chatting and having lunch and drinks in the carpark. As I was packing up my Blakeney Point rucksack and preparing for the hike out along the shingle, news came on the pager of Balearic Shearwaters, that had flown west from Salthouse – as we turned to look, Eddie very sharply spotted a single Balearic Shearwater going west at 2.10pm, about half distance which was fabulous to see!

Blakeney Point
I left to walk Blakeney Point at about 2.20pm. As I started my walk, news came on the pager of a Booted Warbler at Long Hills – excellent!! I saw very little at all before Halfway House and became quite fed-up to be honest. I passed a birder who cheered me up when he told me there was now an Icterine Warbler in the seuda at Halfway House, a Wryneck at The Hood and the Booted Warbler was still there at Long Hills! I now had a spring in my step! I could see birders by Halfway House but they disappeared before I got there so had to search for the Icterine alone. Julian Bhalerao and Phil Heath then joined me which definately helped to locate the Icterine. Phil walked in the sueda and I saw the ICTERINE WARBLER bomb out further along into the sueda. Julian and I got some fabulous pictures of this bird, which was very accommodating! Just a pity the light wasn't better though, but you can't have everything I suppose! Wheatear here also.

ICTERINE WARBLER
Halfway House, Blakeney Point

Pied Flycatcher at The Hood, but we couldn't find any wrynecks. At Long Hills along with Steve G., Julian B., Phil H., Duncan Mc., Eddie M. and others we had reasonable views of the BOOTED WARBLER at 4.45pm. I did manage to get some good record shots of this bird in the end. I also get totally wet and my trainers were squelching with water and trousers soaked. At one point the Booted Warbler was sitting on the shingle momentarily, but teased us terribly and I don't think anyone got a picture of it on the shingle. There was also a Whinchat and a Spotted Flycatcher here.

BOOTED WARBLER

The Hood, Blakeney Point

Steve G. had walked on ahead to The Plantation. Julian, Phil and others headed back and Eddie and I carried on to The Plantation. On route we saw a Garden Warbler, 2 more Wheatears and another Pied Flycatcher. At The Plantation we found Steve G. airing his feet! (wet socks) and we saw 4 Pied Flycatchers flitting about in here and there was also a Garden Warbler. Eddie and I had a brief look in The Lupins but only found a large flock of linnets, a whitethroat and 2 woodpigeons. Two more Wheatears were seen. We left at 7pm and on the way back, we saw a Spotted Flycatcher sitting on the shingle, another Wheatear, a Willow Warbler and 6 Grey Partridge. At The Hood, Eddie and I searched in vain for the two Wrynecks. Eddie walked back along the beach, but I decided to keep to the shingle and sueda until after Halfway House. I passed Kevin Shepherd on route who was sat having a rest and told me he reckoned 'they probably had at least 5 Wrynecks today' on BP.

Its so lonely and soul destroying walking the last half of this walk back, in semi darkness and now rain again! I kept plodding along, with the waves crashing at my feet, until I had no choice but to climb higher up the shingle bank as the waves threatened to soak me. It is such a massive relief when suddenly out of the gloom you spot the boats and the tractor on the shingle and the triangular image of the shelter at Coastguards! Got back to my car at 9pm. Arrived home at 10pm and put the soggy trainers and clothes straight in the washing machine!

What a cracking day! I just wish I could do it all again tomorrow, but very sadly I am at work until 4.30pm. Roll on Bank Holiday Monday!

 Reed Bunting, Blakeney Point.

 Wheatear at Blakeney Point.

Tree Pipit at Blakeney Point.

Spotted Flycatcher on the way back from Blakeney Point.

A few more pictures to be added