A week in Norfolk

Norfolk 2024

Monday 28th October

I met up with John & Janet at Kings Cross where we took the 10.42 train up to Kings Lynn. It was a fairly quiet journey up with just a few small herds of Roe Deer seen along the way. Once in Lynn we crossed over to the bus station and took the bus up to Hunstanton. Our usual B&B had sold up so we were staying at a new one which was fairly close to the other one. We checked in and met up with Darren who had been up a couple of days.

We went for a walk south along the beach. The tide was close to high so there wasn’t much beach left for waders, just a few Oystercatchers and Sanderling among the usual Turnstones. Best sighting was a Harbour Porpoise not too far out in The Wash, the first one we’d seen on this stretch of coast.

Turnstone

With a bit of drizzle in the air and the approach of dusk we popped into a café for a hot drink then back to digs. In the evening we headed down to The Mariner for dinner and a couple of beers.

Tuesday 29th

We headed down to the seafront for some pre-breakfast birding. It was fairly gloomy but the sea was calm. Out in The Wash was a distant flock of about 300 Common Scoter and a single Eider was a bit closer. A Peregrine buzzed the waders on the beach below us. We saw yesterday’s Harbour Porpoise again, only this time there were two of them. Apart from a few Chaffinches very little flew over so we headed back for breakfast.

We were down at the bus stop in time for our usual 09.28 bus to Holkham. We wandered slowly along Lady Anne’s Drive as there was plenty to see, particularly at the far end where a flock of a dozen Cattle Egrets were associating with their bovine buddies.

Cattle Egret

Although there hadn’t been any recent reports of Shorelark or Snow Buntings we walked down to the roped-off area to look anyway, then had a look out to sea from the dunes. There were a few Common Scoter offshore along with a couple of Gannets, a Red-throated Diver and two late Sandwich Terns. Waders tried to feed on the beach but were regularly flushed by dogs.

Next we walked west along the pines and had lunch in one of the hides. A Great Egret was on the largest lake but we didn’t see a single Little Egret here to complete the set. Marsh Harriers, Buzzards and Red Kites drifted over. We carried on to the end where a new hide had been constructed to replace the old one that had been closed for the past two years as it was falling to bits. On the way back we heard a Firecrest and several flocks of Pink-footed Geese and Starlings flew past. 

Pink-footed Geese

We ended up with a list of 70 species at Holkham which was pretty good. We tried to locate a Barn Owl towards dusk but there was no sign of any.

Wednesday 30th

We started the day with the usual seawatch by the beach. As the tide ebbed and exposed some rocks I started looking through the Turnstones in case there was a Purple Sandpiper there – and the first bird I looked at was indeed a Purple Sandpiper! A few Fieldfare flew over with more Redwings, the first I’d seen this autumn. It was soon time for another hearty full English breakfast.

Purple Sandpiper

We spent the rest of the day at Titchwell, starting off on the Fen Trail which was a bit quiet. We tried not to stop along the west bank too much as we wanted to check out the sea before the tide dropped too much. However, we did stop and look for the elusive Jack Snipe on one of the islands but there was no sign of it. We spent an hour looking out to sea – at first glance it appeared empty but after a while birds began to appear and it ended up being really productive with Black-throated Diver, Slavonian and Red-necked Grebes seen. There were a lot of waders out on the beach and even a flock of Spoonbills.

Spoonbills

We spent some time in the main hide looking at the waders and ducks while having lunch. Several hundred Golden Plover were roosting on one island and there were a few Ruff and Dunlin scattered around and the Spoonbill flock flew in and landed. We tried again in vain for the Jack Snipe then headed back to the cafe for a mid-afternoon cuppa. Once refreshed we went back on the west bank to see what flew in to roost. Only a handful of Marsh Harriers appeared but there was no Hen Harrier this evening.

Brent Geese

Dunlin

Golden Plover

Ruff

Spoonbills

Where's Wally?

As we waited for the bus there were a few Red-legged Partridges in the field behind us and a Short-eared Owl flew over. We ended up seeing a credible 80 species at Titchwell, a record count for us at this time of year.

Thursday 31st: Halloween

There were no spooky sightings pre-breakfast so we elected to spend our spare day walking from Thornham Harbour to Holme. It was noticeably colder this morning. We had a good start as we saw a covey of Grey Partridge from the bus just outside Old Hunstanton. At Thornham Harbour there was another flock of six Cattle Egrets feeding out in the fields and two Dartford Warblers zipped past.

Fungi

We passed a lot of people as we walked along the main coastal footpath. At Holme Dunes we cut inland and went to the cafe at the reserve for a much needed coffee and cake. The regular Jack Snipe had been located so we headed out to the hide but it was mostly hidden from view. After a while it walked out into the open then, realising its mistake, scarpered off deep into the rushes. There wasn’t a lot else to see on the reserve so we carried on walking along the dunes and looking out to sea.

We were hoping to get Shore Lark or Snow Bunting but neither showed. Instead we saw two Short-eared Owls, one in the dunes and another that had just flown over the North Sea. It landed on the beach but soon got mobbed by gulls so flew right past us and into the dunes. 

Short-eared Owl

We ended up by the Peddars Way crossroads and took the bus back from there and then treated ourselves to a final dinner at Chives.

Friday 1st November

We only had time today for a short pre-breakfast look on the beach where the only new bird of the trip was a Red-breasted Merganser. It was then time to pack up, have breakfast and head back to Lynn on the bus and the train home.

 

October birding

After returning from Indonesia I only had a couple of days at home before I was off on another trip. 

Spurn

I had a three day trip up to the Spurn area with fellow Dagenham Chase patch birders Vince & Sam. We stayed in a nice self-catering 3 bedroom house in Welwick which was conveniently located next to a pub.

On our way up we had planned to stop at Frampton but nothing had been reported there so we carried on up to Bempton to look for the Isabelline Shrike. It was very windy when we got there and although it had been seen earlier in the day there was no sign of it. At least one Yellow-browed Warbler was heard by the feeding station which also housed a small flock of Tree Sparrows, the first ones I'd seen this year.

Tree Sparrow

The following morning was spent at various sites in the Spurn area. We tried for the American Wigeon at Kilnsea but it was either hiding or asleep. However, there was Little Stint and Spotted Redshank there. In the afternoon we crossed back over the Humber Bridge and made a short exploratory stop at Far Ings NR. There weren't many birds visible from the first hide but we did have great views of an Otter.

Far Ings NR by the Humber Bridge

Not the Loch Ness Monster but an Otter's tail!

Our main target was the goose roost on Read Island and we next went to a viewpoint where a few other birders had gathered. Pink-footed Geese started coming in up the estuary and we scanned through them and then Vince found a small flock that were flying in from the north with two white birds in it. Through the scope we could see that they were the two Snow Geese we were looking for. They did a circuit over Read Island but decided not to roost there and carried on up the Humber.

Pink-footed Geese

We stopped for dinner at a carvery before driving back to Welwick. While Vince & Sam had a nightcap across the road I went to scan the skies for the Northern Lights as they had been forecast to show and a few reports were coming in. After a few minutes a large streak of red light was visible next to a patch of green sky. I retrieved the others from the pub along with all the other patrons and we watched the spectacle.

Northern Lights

For our last day we walked down to Welwick Marsh from our cottage. There were quite a few birds around in the adjacent fields and there's a nature reserve at the end of the track.

Great Egret

We then headed back to Kilnsea. We decided to give the wigeon another go and after a bit of a search found it on the eastern pool. As we walked back a Red-throated Diver swam towards us before flying off south. A few Whooper Swans flew past as well.

Red-throated Diver

Whooper Swans

We walked back, seeing a Little Owl by the farm, then went up the road and heard a Yellow-browed Warbler. There wasn't a lot being reported in the area so we went back to our digs and checked out. We had a last look down Welwick Marsh then drove home. Although we hadn't come across any rarities from the east it was a nice break with 90 species seen.

Dagenham Chase

I made eight visits here this month and it proved to be a very productive October as I saw three new patch birds: Bearded Tit, Cattle & Great Egrets. I did several dawn starts in the hope of some good visible migration but it was fairly quiet apart from on Oct 16th when 900+ Redwings flew over. Despite Bramblings and Hawfinches being seen at many other sites we couldn't manage either one.

Bearded Tit

Cattle Egret, just the second ever record at The Chase

Great Egret, also seen flying over The Slack

My second Marsh Harrier of the year at The Chase

Rainham Marshes

I only managed five visits to Rainham this month but that was enough to get one new patch tick - a Hawfinch that flew over the old silt lagoons as I was walking along Coldharbour Lane. Having missed three the day before I was very pleased to catch up with one, especially so as it was my 150th  bird there this year which was my target. I also spent some time looking for a probable Dusky Warbler but it had presumably moved on. I was up in Norfolk for the last few days of the month so missed the Long-billed Dowitcher.

Photographs

A very poor month for photographing new species - the only one was the Cattle Egret at Dagenham Chase which brings me up to 134 this year.

Lesser Sundas Part 6

Komodo & home

Thursday 3^rd

Our last full day on Lesser Sundas and one we would remember for a long time. It started with the usual early morning wake up and we left the hotel at 5am to drive down to the harbour. We boarded a rather smart speedboat and were soon heading across the strait past lots of little islands to the legendary island of Komodo. Apart from a few Crested Terns there wasn’t much to see on the way out until we approached the island. Feeding on the beach was a Wild Boar and stood on the rocks was a Large-billed Heron.

Wild Boar

Here be dragons

Our speedboat

It was low tide so we couldn’t dock at the jetty which meant a wet landing. Luckily we were prepared for this as we were wearing shorts and sandals. We lowered ourselves into the sea and waded to shore, the sea was knee height so wasn’t a problem and unlike the last time we did this on Principe where had to walk on jagged rocks, we walked onto a sandy beach.

We were welcomed by one of the rangers as the whole island is a protected nature reserve and he took us out onto the trails. First up was one of several Yellow-crested Cockatoos, subtly different from the familiar Australian Sulphur-crests. Several Javan Deer strutted around and there were a lot of birds.

Yellow-crested Cockatoo

Javan Deer

Because of its protected status with no hunting or collecting, birds on Komodo are relatively tame. Several species of pigeon were seen along with Orange-footed Scrubfowl and Green Junglefowl that wandered around, often in mixed groups.

Green Junglefowl

Orange-footed Scrubfowl

Gimp, or Green Imperial Pigeon

Island Collared Dove

We reached a little clearing and our guide pointed to a monstrous lizard – the famed Komodo Dragon. Hesitantly we stayed back, snapping a few distant photos before he beckoned us to approach closer. There were two here, a large male measuring about two and half metres that barely moved and a smaller one that was exploring a rocky pool. This one lumbered around, flicking out its forked tongue constantly but paid no attention to us. 

After our fill here we carried on and encountered another largish dragon heading down the path directly towards us. We cleared the path and watched as it ambled past just a metre away. It ignored us, seeing us as neither food or a threat. The breeding season was over for these reptiles so they were fairly placid.

We followed the path as it climbed up out of the coastal forest and up in the dry rocky hills. It was quite hot here so we didn’t spend too much time but long enough to see a Variable Goshawk hunting over the hillside. We retraced our steps and headed back to the beach passing another dragon.

Interior of Komodo

Variable Goshawk

We stopped for coffee at a beach-side café where we encountered two more dragons, making it a total of six. One walked past on the beach eyeing up a pair of Large-billed Crows that were raiding a pot of water for a drink. Another young one scampered through the café past our table causing a bit of mayhem as a couple of people sought refuge on the top of the table!

Barred Dove

Large-billed Crow

All too soon our Komodo adventure was over and we waded back into the sea and scrambled aboard our boat. We went round to another bay where a White-bellied Sea-Eagle was perched on a clifftop tree. Our guides went looking for roosting owls but couldn’t find any so we headed back across the sea to Flores. The return crossing was more productive as we encountered two pods of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins.

Leaving Komodo

We also had more seabirds with a few Crested Terns that were mobbing a Pacific Reef-Heron as it flew low over the sea, a Brahminy Kite, two Common Noddy and a frigatebird that was too distant to identify to species level. An hour later we docked back on Flores and went for lunch at our hotel. This was the first time we’d seen it in daylight and it was set on the beach with an extensive garden. Joining us for lunch was a Black-faced Munia.

Harbour back on Flores

Our hotel

We had a decent siesta as it was hot and humid and went out again at 3.30. We headed up into the hills and stopped by the roadside where we could hear Flores Crow calling. Eventually we got good views of a pair. 

We had our final owling session of the trip but only got brief views of a Moluccan Scops-Owl. Over the entire trip we’d managed to see six of the seven endemic owls on the islands we visited although some remained unphotographed.

We finished up at a pleasant little restaurant for our last dinner with our guide and driver before heading back to the hotel.

Friday 4^th

We checked out of the hotel at 5.30 and headed back up into the hills for our last birding session. The first stop was for a group of Leaf Lorikeets that are aptly named as they’re good at blending ito the leaves of Eucalyptus trees. We managed to add another couple of endemics: Flores Monarch and Russet-capped Tesia and then finally found a perched Ornate Pitta that decided to sit still while we could see it.

Flame-breasted Sunbird

Ornate Pitta

Roadside cafe with views

and a fresh coconut to drink

There were also a few more new trip birds with two kingfishers: a Collared that perched up high on the hillside and an Oriental Dwarf that whistled past us unseen. We continued to look for Flores Hawk-Eagle but failed although we did see a few raptors, a nice perched juvenile Brown Goshawk and two White-bellied Sea-Eagles that soared over the road and ended our birding on the Lesser Sundas.

Brown Goshawk

Tree Sparrow

White-bellied Sea-Eagle

We drove to the airport, had a repack for the flight back to Bali. We arrived mid-evening although by the time we’d collected our bags and survived a taxi ride with a driver who thought he could do the journey on a thimbleful of petrol it was quite late by the time we arrived at the hotel. There was time for dinner and fortunately we’d missed most of the set of a 70s cover-band who were playing songs that were hits some 30 or 40 years before they were born!

Saturday 5^th

A last leisurely morning. A trio of Pale-headed Munias were seen outside the hotel window before we went down for breakfast. We actually had to wait for a table to become free as the place was packed. We left late morning and transferred back to the airport in plenty of time for our flights home in the afternoon.

Denpasar, Bali

Bali

Our trip list for the Lesser Sundas was 171 species recorded including 85 new birds for me, as well as Komodo Dragon, a couple of Flying Lizards, a handful of mammals and a selection of insects. It's a pleasant chain of islands to visit and well off the beaten track compared to Bali, just don't expect to see hundreds of birds!