Twite

If you’re a Twite you have to find somewhere to drink as well as eat. This guttering was just the ticket for a small flock of Twite we saw on the Norfolk Speciality Birds Long Weekend.

A February Tour

Please take a look at the link it’s a good value excellent tour – https://mailchi.mp/0b88d9aef72b/southern-scotland-in-early-spring-1977393

Darting about in the bushes

We went to see the somewhat elusive Dartford Warbler occupying the dune bushes at Holkham last week; and had more success than some others!

It’s all in a name

When you look at bird names from around the world most of the time you can half guess what the bird is going to look like. Anything with ‘Lesser’ in front of it is going to be small or smaller. Anything with ‘Greater’ is going to be somewhat bigger. Then there’s specific stuff like Rough legged Buzzard has feathered legs, White faced Heron is basically a heron with a white face. Shoveller has a bill like a shovel. More often than not it says what it is on the tin! Well … you get the drift.

I came across a duck in Australia. It looked like something that a kid had drawn or maybe an trainee Victorian taxidermist had put together. It has a massive bill about a quarter of the body length, an eye ring that looks as if it’s just exited specsavers, an eye patch worthy of a panda as well as a stripy body that wouldn’t look out of place in a herd of zebra. So you would think naming it would be easy. Naaa! The Pink eared Duck is named after the smallest amount of pink feathering on the head. Bizarre.

“To your right!”

The intermittent Iceland Gull within the Cley area recently, has been damn difficult to see. We were stood in the ‘beach hotel’ at the NWT Car Park when it flew east just offshore at nothing less than warp eight speed. “Our engines canny take any more Jim” It couldn’t have flown faster had it been designed by Sir Frank Whittle.

Too quick for some to see … apparently.

A funny little turn

Some wonderful terns nesting in Blakeney Point this year including several pairs of Little Tern. Viewed and photographed from a safe distance aboard ‘Temples Boats’.

The last post

I’m leaving for a while. I’ll be back though. At the end of the month. By necessity I have to cease posting on Letter from Norfolk and Facebook until then. All will become apparent towards the end of January. In the meantime I’ll leave you with a sort of clue. See you at the end of the month … with a slightly different format.

That time of year again

The end of another year is almost upon us. Goodbye 2016 and hello 2017. Thinking back through the last twelve months there’s been so many good sightings; so many good times. It really has been a good year.

The Geese and Goosanders on the Solway Tour performed for us as did all the specialities on the April Scotland Tour. The Mull tour was spectacular; eagles, whales and more. Canada leaves Humpbacks breaching through my memories for many years to come. Scilly was a classic. Orchids, butterflies and Nightjars all played a part during the year. So many sightings, so many places.

If I was to choose one moment; one sighting above all others, it would have to be seeing Cuvier’s Beaked Whales in the bay of Biscay. Beautiful, enigmatic, specialised life forms that we can only peek at through tiny keyholes in time before they descend once more to the depths.

Happy New Year… have a good one.

 

Calling Out

Yellow browed Warblers have been quiet this year. Not one I’ve seen has been particularly vociferous. However, this Humes Yellow browed at Wells the other day was rather ‘shouty’… at least on the first visit we made.

 

The wonderful east coast

Just a few photos taken on this years East Coast Seabird Tour. Bookings now being taken for next years tour. See the website here for itinerary and prices.