We had more Chough on the Wales trip in August than I’ve ever seen in previous years. Could there be a bit of an upturn in numbers do you think? Is this maybe why there have been one or two extralimital records in the UK this year? I guess it’s possible. Any which ways it’s a charming, amusing corvid that I particularly enjoy watching.
The glacial ridge orientated east/west running parallel to the coast here in Norfolk is ideal for Firecrests. We found up to eight singing males when the weather started to warm a little. When I saw this individual it wasn’t singing just foraging avidly So I presume it was a female. She had a seed or something stuck to her bill. No matter what she did she couldn’t shake it off.
The crest of the coastal ridge around Titchwell is a regular spot to see Doterel at this time of the year. Birds drop in with some regularity to feed before moving on their way up the Pennines and into Cumbria, Scotland or beyond to Scandinavia. These are a montaine breeding species with a role reversal in the sexes. The male rears the chicks alone without any help from the more brightly coloured female.
Many of the 27 birds I saw in this years well watched ‘trip’ were female; many of the males perhaps already holding territory in the north. About half the flock are present in the photograph below; best viewed by enlarging.
Crossbills are a nomadic group of birds, Sometimes they are difficult to find, sometimes they are all over you. A good number of Parrot Crossbills were in the Brecks when on tour the other week. A few individuals were coming down to puddles of water to drink. If you were quiet and still they would come close.
Letter From Norfolk 