New Year's Day Bird Race!

 Dawn – Sandringham.

• King's Lynn • Wolverton • Sandringham • Snettisham RSPB 
• Hunstanton • Old Hunstanton • Ringstead • Choseley
• Titchwell RSPB • Choseley • Holme

Team: Penny Clarke
Weather: Atrocious!

First bird heard was Robin singing in the garden at 6.15am and then when I left home saw Blackbird, Starling, Hedgesparrow. Heron flying over the A149 just before Wolverton. Wolverton Triangle, no sign of Golden Pheasant!

Sandringham bird table was a massive disappointment, but did see Collared Dove, Woodpigeon, Black-headed Gull, Jackdaw and Rook here and heard Nuthatch!

Then onto Snettisham RSPB to tick the Black-necked Grebe – ha ha, not! A lovely watery, muddy, cold walk to find that the Black-necked Grebe was not on show for NYD! But did tick off a Mistlethrush on a wire (Beach Road) and No. 12 to No. 36 (see list). It was wickedly cold here! The Fieldfares and Redwings were seen in the hedge next to the telegraph wire, where I saw the mistle thrush on the way down, good scoop!

Along a road that veers off from Beach Road at Snettisham I found a fantastic field with lots of leaf mould litter, a watery ditch and a few mature trees. In one oak tree I had all the tit family and couldn't believe my luck when a Marsh Tit appeared aswell! I didn't manage to get long-tailed tit though.

Tip off from a local birder (thanks!) gave me a flock of brambling in Hunstanton and also No. 41-No.48.

At Hunstanton Cliffs I saw No. 49 to No. 67. An excellent selection of birds found here and also Mark Bradbury pointed out the Shag distantly to me, sitting on a post at the eastern most end of the cliffs. I didn't see the reported snow buntings here, but that sighting was early on and there were now tons of dog walkers around.

Old Hunstanton Church by the duck pond gave me a Sparrowhawk swooping through. Along Waterworks Road I saw a Gadwall in the pond at the end of the road. I was hoping for grey wag or kingfisher here, but no luck.

Had a massive flock of Linnets between Ringstead and Choseley. Pager bleeped up with Taiga Bean Goose and Barnacle Goose betweeen Docking and Choseley, so off I went to search for these. Found a massive flock of Pink-footed Geese, probably a few thousand, but even with lots of searching (and with other birders) we couldn't find either of these! No corn buntings or yellowhammers were found at Choseley.

At Titchwell RSPB I ticked off Greenfinch on the feeders and Water Rail in the usual ditch. Tufted Duck and Teal were on Patsy's Pool and a Jay appeared by the farm gate near the pool. The rest: No. 75 to No. 82 were seen from Island Hide and along the main path. The weather was dire now, howling wind and rain were battering me! On the sea I had Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter, Goldeneye and a Red-throated Diver west. I could hardly walk because of the wind on the way back. Ticked 3 Little Grebes on the way back in the first pool. Back at the Fen Trail I got lucky and flushed a Woodcock from the undergrowth. Although there were a few Marsh Harriers here, I did not see Hen Harrier or Barn Owl, which was disappointing.

Went off searching for Owls. Drove back up the Choseley Road and had a Little Owl flying in front of the car and then veered off in the field east of me!!! I drove everywhere trying to find a Barn Owl or/and Tawny Owl, but just couldn't find either. I even went down the Firs Road at Holme to a really good spot for Tawny, but nothing! Went home and fell asleep!

I didn't expect to beat last year's 101 count with the atrocious weather we had today, but was quite pleased when I added up my total, not too bad at all really.
 
89 birds seen – listed in the order I saw them:

1. Robin
2. Blackbird
3. Starling
4. Hedgesparrow
5. Heron
6. Collared Dove
7. Woodpigeon
8. Black-headed Gull
9. Jackdaw
10. Rook
11. Nuthatch
12. Mistlethrush
13. Pheasant
14. Red-legged Partridge
15. Pink-footed Goose
16. Magpie
17. Herring Gull
18. Moorhen
19. Greylag Goose
20. Egyptian Goose
21. Canada Goose
22. Goldfinches
23. Mallard
24. Mute Swan
25. Pochard
26. Knot
27. Wigeon
28. Curlew
29. Coot
30. Marsh Harrier
31. Shelduck
32. Lapwing
33. Fieldfare
34. Redwing
35. Chaffinch
36. Common Buzzard
37. Blue Tit
38. Great Tit
39. Coal Tit
40. Marsh Tit
41. Pied Wagtail
42. Grey Partridge
43. Carrion Crow
44. Brambling
45. Great Black-backed Gull
46. Kestrel
47. House Sparrow
48. Common Gull
49. Turnstone
50. Rock Dove
51. Fulmar
52. Oystercatcher
53. Bar-tailed Godwit
54. Black-tailed Godwit
55. Eider
56. Great Crested Grebe
57. Redshank
58. Grey Plover
59. Lesser Black-backed Gull
60. Cormorant
61. Shag
62. Red-breasted Merganser
63. Red-necked Grebe
64. Slavonian Grebe
65. Dunlin
66. Sanderling
67. Brent Goose
68. Sparrowhawk
69. Gadwall
70. Linnet
71. Greenfinch
72. Tufted Duck
73. Teal
74. Jay
75. Little Egret
76. Shoveler
77. Water Rail
78. Golden Plover
79. Avocet
80. Snipe
81. Ruff
82. Pintail
83. Goldeneye
84. Velvet Scoter
85. Common Scoter
86. Red-throated Diver
87. Little Grebe
88. Woodcock
89. Little Owl