First stop this morning is Flitney Abbey Farm. This is a wonderful little nature reserve which forms part of a working farm. This is a great spot for Kingfisher and the only place I know in north Norfolk to see Little Owl. Unfortunately, neither makes an appearance today.
Our next destination is the area around Dersingham Bog and Wolverton village. This is probably the only area now for the increasingly rare Golden Pheasant. Originally introduced as an ornamental bird to stately homes, they have escaped and set up wild breeding populations in East Anglia. It seems as though all the others have died out and now only the Wolverton population is left. Despite its rich colours this is a secretive bird and it may take many visits before you see one. On this occasion we are unlucky.
Our next stop is at Norfolk Lavender at Heachem. This is a commercial lavender distillery and gift shop – it seems like almost anything can have lavender oil included in it!
This is also the home of the national lavender collection, which is seeking to collect, grow and preserve all the different varieties of lavender found in the UK.
Our final destination today was Titchwell Marsh. A couple of hours birding here never disappoints. We saw some Bearded Reedlings in the reed-bed and on the freshwater marsh were a selection of waterfowl and wading birds including Pinkfoot Geese (newly arrived from their breeding grounds further north), Curlew Sandpipers, Dunlin and a single Little Stint.
Pink-footed Goose (top left), Dunlin (centre left), Wigeon (bottom left), Ruffe (top right) and Grey Heron (bottom right)
Sue also found this Common Frog on one of the pathways.
We had arranged to go to friends for dinner and as we drove the country lanes at dusk, we saw a lot of Pheasants feeding by the roadside together with a couple of Red Legged Partridge and a single Grey Partridge plus a perched Buzzard and Kestrel, but didn’t have the camera with me!
Canada Goose [sp] (Branta canadensis)
Greylag Goose [sp] (Anser anser)
Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus)
Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope)
Mallard [sp] (Anas platyrhynchos)
Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca)
Red-legged Partridge [sp] (Alectoris rufa)
Grey Partridge [sp] (Perdix perdix)
Common Pheasant [sp] (Phasianus colchicus)
Grey Heron [sp] (Ardea cinerea)
Little Egret [sp] (Egretta garzetta)
Great Cormorant [sp] (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Red Kite [sp] (Milvus milvus)
Common Buzzard [sp] (Buteo buteo)
Common Moorhen [sp] (Gallinula chloropus)
Eurasian Coot [sp] (Fulica atra)
Eurasian Oystercatcher [sp] (Haematopus ostralegus)
Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
European Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria)
Common Ringed Plover [sp] (Charadrius hiaticula)
Eurasian Curlew [sp] (Numenius arquata)
Black-tailed Godwit [sp] (Limosa limosa)
Ruff (Calidris pugnax)
Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)
Dunlin [sp] (Calidris alpina)
Little Stint (Calidris minuta)
Common Redshank [sp] (Tringa totanus)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Lesser Black-backed Gull [sp] (Larus fuscus)
Stock Dove [sp] (Columba oenas)
Common Wood Pigeon [sp] (Columba palumbus)
Eurasian Collared Dove [sp] (Streptopelia decaocto)
Western Jackdaw [sp] (Coloeus monedula)
Carrion Crow [sp] (Corvus corone)
Eurasian Blue Tit [sp] (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Great Tit [sp] (Parus major)
Bearded Reedling [sp] (Panurus biarmicus)
Barn Swallow [sp] (Hirundo rustica)
Common House Martin [sp] (Delichon urbicum)
Common Chiffchaff [sp] (Phylloscopus collybita)
Common Starling [sp] (Sturnus vulgaris)
European Robin [sp] (Erithacus rubecula)
House Sparrow [sp] (Passer domesticus)
Dunnock [sp] (Prunella modularis)
White Wagtail [sp] (Motacilla alba)
Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
Common Chaffinch [sp] (Fringilla coelebs)
Common Linnet [sp] (Linaria cannabina)
European Goldfinch [sp] (Carduelis carduelis)
Common Reed Bunting [sp] (Emberiza schoeniclus)
