The BWK has sadly done a bunk again. The past two springs, it's turned up at Hickling NWT, which is always worth a visit even if there's not a BWK there (Brenden's Marsh is best for waders). Sadly, due to a family bereavement, I won't be around this weekend, or else I would have met up with you.
Incredible scenes at Sweetbriar NWT today when this female Sparrowhawk took a Jay and devoured it in front of me, much to the indignation of the local corvids!
Great to see the Norfolk Black-winged Kite at Sea Palling this morning. It's getting closer to my Waxham patch! #NorfolkBirding #UKBirding
At @earlhaminst.bsky.social it's always nice to get a brand new @nanoporetech.com flow cell, but in spring it's even better. You can recycle the woollen packaging by putting it into a bird feeder, which birds will use for nesting material. Here's a Blue Tit doing just that.
youtu.be/r6b00j0PXRo
Made a rare trip 'up north' to North Norfolk today. Lovely flock of 13 Long-tailed Ducks (5 drakes) on the sea, plus Black-necked Grebe, Scaup, Raven, a showy Water Rail, plus lots of summer-plumaged Med Gulls and lots of waterfowl and waders
A neck-ringed White-fronted Goose that I had just west of Gt. Yarmouth on 14 Feb was ringed in north Holland on 12 Dec 23, and was seen in Salmorth, Denmark on 5 Dec 25 and then Haarzuilens, Holland on 18 Jan 26.
Full details here (login needed) submit.cr-birding.org/animals/1744... #NorfolkBirding
As well as the Iceland Gull, there's plenty of other stuff at Sea Palling to see, such as 6 Purple Sands, lots of Turnstones, and 5 Caspian Gulls (4 2cy and 1 adult).
Had a great morning looking at gulls at Sea Palling today. Star of the show was this 2cy Iceland Gull #NorfolkBirding
We've got a wintering Whinchat in Norfolk too. I've never heard of them wintering before, but I can see 7 records of them on eBird in the UK between Dec-Feb over all years.
Great to finish up the day with some lovely views of Short-eared Owls in east Norfolk today. Probably up to 10 birds at this one site.
Saw the New Year in at the same place I saw it out - Filby Broad. The female Ring-necked Duck showed quite closely, but always into the sun, and the drake Ferruginous Duck did the right thing and occasionally woke up.
Lovely to see 2025 out at Filby Broad on Wednesday. I was delighted when this Red-necked Grebe popped up out of nowhere, right next to the boardwalk, and then the 3 Eider (1 drake, 2 ducks) swam out into view.
After the run of easterlies we've had over the past week or so, you can now almost 'expect' to find Tundra Bean Geese in large flocks of Pink-footed Geese in Norfolk. Here are two of the five birds that I saw at Wickhampton today. Lots of Russian White-fronts in the flocks too. #NorfolkBirding
What a mega day!! Started by twitching Great Shearwater (Norfolk tick) off Winterton. Sooty Shearwater and Snow Buntings from there too. Then I found 8+ Tundra Bean Geese at Horsey. Then, at St. Benet's Abbey, I had great views of Black-winged Kite, Glossy Ibis, Short-eared Owl, and 7 cranes. Wow!
Now this is my idea of a Christmas Robin! Eastern Black Redstart at Sheringham this afternoon. It remained elusive in the cold easterly wind for most of the morning, but eventually did the decent thing and returned to the ornamental gardens.
A really nice day in the sun out in East Norfolk today. As well as the four Tundra Bean Geese, I also had 2 White-fronts, as well as 6 Bewick's and 29 Whooper Swans #NorfolkBirding #UKbirding
Tundra Bean Geese have been really thin on the ground this winter, so I was really pleased to find four at Horsey this afternoon (an adult, with two first-winters behind, shown here). #NorfolkBirding
Sorry this happened to you Danny. I must say (for balance), my experience was quite different. They just asked me to remove my phone and keys, gave me a quick once over with the metal detector and off I went into the ground.
Recovery map, showing the distance between ringing (12/02/2024) and encounter (08/06/2025) locations
Turnstone ringed in Southend-on-Sea in February 2024
Qikiqtaaluk Region: the administrative region of Nunavut where Alert is located. May 2025.
Epic recovery report just received! ⚠️ A Turnstone I trapped using a homemade walk-in trap has been recaptured in the 🌍 world’s 🌎 northernmost continuously inhabited settlement. Ringed on 12 February 2024 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex 🇬🇧, it was re-trapped on 08 June 2025 in Alert, Nunavut… 🇨🇦 (🧵 1/2)
The last of three supermoons in 2025 occurred last night. December's full moon is also known as the 'Cold Moon', so you could describe last night's as a #SuperColdMoon. This uncropped image was taken at 6.30am today with a Nikon Coolpix P1100, using the moon mode.
Dusky Warbler! This morning's sunny and calm weather provided the perfect window of bird-finding opportunity. So my pre-work visit to Brancaster turned out to be a good call, when I found this little chap 'tuk'ing away in a hedgerow near the Branodunum Roman Fort. #ukbirding #norfolkbirding
Siberian Chiffchaff
Siberian Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
Caspian Gull
Dawn to dusk birding at Horsey, from the village, out along the Nelson Head track, and south to the Winterton plantations. I never found that 'biggy', but Sibe Chiffy, a VERY late Willow Warbler, Hen Harrier, and fabulous Caspian Gull made it a very nice day ebird.org/checklist/S2... #ukbirding
Thinking back, I believe the Waxham bird may have been part of the mini-influx which brought a small flock to Westleton Heath, which would make it around Feb 2004. Might be mistaken though.
Is Shangri-la, Waxham in TG42. I remember seeing one there about 15 years ago. I think Richard Millington found it whilst looking for a Pallas's.
Amber-listed kestrel pictured at Buckenham Marshes reserve | Eastern Daily Press share.google/vdxtGAibXZCg...
Just thought I'd leave this little peach for you...
There's been a really good influx of Firecrests into East Anglia this week, with double-figure counts on the north Suffolk coast. Here's one bird that put on a nice show at Horsey, Norfolk this morning.
I love finding Pallas's Warblers, so I was delighted to find this bird at Sidestrand, Norfolk today. There was also a really nice mix of birds along the coast today, including Firecrests, YBWs, Chiffs, Bramblings and other finches, thrushes, Skylarks, pipits, and more.
One of the most incredible WTF!! moments I have witnessed in 41 years birding Belvide. 8 White-rumped Sandpiper on the north shore between 4pm-5.30pm. Just short of a British Record of 11 on the outer Hebrides. Thought I'd lost the plot when I saw them. Still pinching myself. #UKbirding
