A Cold and Grey Day in Norfolk

Barrie, RichardJ and I had made plans to make our first visit to Norfolk for 2016 this weekend and despite the poor weather forecast for Saturday, we decide to go. Another weekend and more cold grey weather making photography very difficult. At least it remained dry, which gave us a great chance to catch-up with some good birds. Our first stop was at Holkham Hall where a female Ferruginous Duck had been wintering. Also on view was a female Red Crested Pochard and a rather smart looking Aythya Hybrid. A Barn Owl was active around the lake area and there were plenty of Egyptian Geese. We stopped along the Lady Anne’s Drive, but noticed a distinct lack of Geese, however, further along the road towards Titchwell, we had a large flock of around c280 European White-fronted Geese, many Brent Geese and small numbers of Pink-footed Geese, also another Barn Owl. Our next stop was the farmland around Choseley for the wintering Rough-legged Buzzard. After driving round the lanes for an hour, we eventually caught up with the bird, as it was hunting across the farmland near Choseley Barns. Titchwell produced a variety of waders and wintering wildfowl, a Marsh Harrier, several Water Pipit and on the sea Common Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser and Goldeneye. An adult Mediterranean Gull was in with a large flock of Black-headed and Common Gull on the fresh marsh. A drive around the infamous Wolferton Triangle, produced a male Golden Pheasant, the first one I’ve seen for many, many years. We finished off our day at Roydon Common, where we hoped to pick-up the regular Pallid Harrier that has been coming into the roost. Alas we didn’t see it during our time watching the arrival of 4 “Ring-tailed” Hen Harriers, disappointing. It arrived late-on and shortly after we had left the site. My Year List has now moved on to 141