Four of a Kind

A surprising heat to the end of the day saw us celebrating on the patio. After all when you’ve had a successful day you’re allowed a drink in the embers of the evening light. Against a background of parachuting Meadow Pipits we talked of the day we’d had.

I forget now which came first the adult Goshawk doing a flyby with its gushing white undertail coverts or the perched Redpoll but it was definitely the juvenile Goshawk that sailed majestically by next. It was when we were commenting the cottage was an ideal place to stay that the adult White-tailed Eagle decided to flash us that tail trailed by its grey stone plumage. Now that’s the way I like to celebrate a day … but what of the day itself?

It started slow. A false alarm as a Red throated Diver stood proud but bore no resemblance to the White-billed we were seeking. A flat calm sea was beneficial. We changed location further along the coast. A Great Northern Diver was a close call but no cigar. Persistence was the key. Eventually we found not one but two White billed Divers and then just as we thought the diver tally was complete a full summer plumage Black throated popped up just beyond the breakers. A perfect day? Well when you add in the flock of 20 Red breasted Mergansers, 7 Slavonian Grebes, 50+ Long tailed Duck and hundreds of dapper summer plumage Razorbills you’d think that would be it. However, we still had time to gather in 47 Whooper Swans and high Northward bound skeins of Pinkfeet before heading home to celebrate!

A Christmas present

It’s been a period of distant raptors in Norfolk. After the Pallid Harrier showed for Tania and I we came across the White tailed Eagle that’s been haunting the Holkham area. It didn’t take us long to find the juvenile bird sat in trees to the North of Bones Drift.

Viewable from the coast road it sat majestically in a dead tree. Unperturbed at passing Marsh Harriers that were in mobbing mode it stood its ground as you would expect of a predator at the top of the food chain.

Seeing an Eagle whether it be in Scandinavia, Scotland or on the Norfolk coast, even if it is a reintroduced Isle of Wight bird, is always a treat. A nice Christmas present.

Merry Christmas to one and all.

Raptor Central

I was sat in the study yesterday when Mark up the road messaged he’d walked out onto Sheringham golf course and was looking West. I guess he could half see the reported White tailed Eagle in the distance circling over a heat haze ridden Cley. He thought it might come our way.

The morning was one of those semi-murky days where the sun never quite manages to break the clouds. A still day, full of promise of raptors circling upwards and moving along the North Norfolk ridge. I’d already been down to the sea earlier. There were things moving; long lines of Scoter, a few Gannet and Red throated Divers. A lone Sand Martin zipping its way West was the pick of the bunch and my first for the year; but after an hour or so I decided to go home and put a few final touches to the NNNS AGM that was taking place by way of a Zoom meeting in the evening.

There were four White tailed Eagles scattered around Norfolk yesterday. It was likely at least one would work its way over West Runton. When I got Mark’s message I decided to sit for a while at the lounge window and see what would fly over. I’ve seen quite a few White tailed eagles around Norfolk over the years. Two graced the airspace over the garden where I used to live in Northrepps and I’ve even seen one from the north end of Water Lane where I now live in West Runton … but they are always nice to see.

I didn’t have to wait long before a Red Kite circled above and it wasn’t long after it was joined by another, then another and finally a fourth. A Sparrowhawk also joined the throng. It would have been inconceivable 40 years ago to have a group of Red Kites hanging around the Norfolk coast but these days spring wanderings such as this are more or less expected. Still, they are brilliant to see.

What with Ospreys being introduced into coastal North Suffolk, and White-tailed Eagles into West Norfolk the county could turn into raptor central.

One of the Eagles did work it’s way along the ridge pasts Felbrigg and I probably would have picked it up from the window … if I hadn’t been back on the laptop! Even as I post this the following morning there’s another Kite outside my lounge window. Glorious birds.

WTE

One of the reasons I take a tour to Mull each year is to see the amazing wildlife that resides and returns there. The eagles are understandably a big draw; and most people get a kick out of seeing them. They are undoubtedly magnificent beasts. We had five sightings of White tailed Eagles including this one.

tale of a white tail

I could have waited. In the end I decided to be more proactive.

The White tailed Eagle was reported to be shingle hopping east at Cley having been seen last night at Wareham. This morning it tried to re-orientate in the mist. I first saw it from the coast road over Beeston Bump stirring up a lively kettle of gulls. West Runton seemed to be the place to go. As I pulled into the car park a number of people pointed skyward and my camera went immediately to my eye. No time for settings. I was looking down the throat of a white tailed eagle the exposure would have to do. Marvellous beast.

Is that a tracker on its back or just an odd feather?

Just when you’re thinking about lighting the candles …

As part of the recent short week in Scotland for Birders Tour we went on a short boat trip. Although the wind had been worryingly high in preceding days the bay where we sailed was sheltered. Gannets, Basking Sharks, Great Skuas, all the Auks including Black Guillemot were present … at close range.
You would have thought that with the addition of two White tailed Eagles and a Golden Eagle floating high above us the icing was already on the cake … until this happened.

2nd Bite at the Cherry

It’s not often that lightning strikes twice in the same place but earlier this week it did!

We stood at Falcon Cottage watching the western horizon patiently waiting; a cold easterly still blowing at our backs despite the blue sky and the late onset of spring. The clear visibility had aroused a movement of raptors. A phone call had alerted me a White tailed Eagle was coming our way. The last time this happened a couple of years ago I unwittingly drove underneath it; of course it would never happen again, we would never get another, the opportunity had been lost, that is … until now.

It was Andrew who first saw a suggestion of a large bird. It was on the edge of perception, appearing and then disappearing as it banked and turned. Coming a little closer I saw it bank and the true size of the bird became apparent. They don’t call it the flying barn door for nothing. This was remarkable. In a copycat flight path of the last Eagle to take to the air over Northrepps it flew over Temple Wood and made it’s way passed us towards the coast at Bacton. It was also quite remarkable that even when we were discussing the possible identification of a distant spec the local raptor population were getting into the air. Buzzards, Accipiters and Kestrels all made their presence known, no doubt to ensure the visitor passed through as quickly as possible. They had seen the Eagle long before we did.

 

Not the Eagle in question but one of similar age I photographed in Scotland a few years ago.