Saturday the 24th would have been the last day of our Cornwall holiday, had we gone which of course, we hadn't. In the past fortnight there had been nothing new for our life lists reported in the South-West at all so maybe having to cancel wasn't so bad. Instead, while having to bird elsewhere, mainly days out to the East Coast, we had added two lifers so maybe things happen for a reason.
We were out on our local staple reserve, Otmoor on a grey and drizzly morning. Otmoor can be a bleak and uninspiring place on days like this, seemingly devoid of birds at times but close inspection will usually produce something. The end of October is also that crossover period, summering birds have largely left for warmer climes and the wintering species are not yet in situ in numbers. The Moor is at its best on clear and cold winter days and this was neither. Nevertheless we lingered at the feeding station for a while watching the multitude of Blue and Great Tits flit between the bushes and the feeders. A few Chaffinches dodged amongst the Pheasants and Squirrels that pick up the dropped seeds. A seldom heard call, a drawn out 'twaaaay', alerted me to the presence of a bird perched up on one of the overhead wires. The Lesser Redpoll that looked down at us was our first of the year and became the 233rd species on the 2020 year list. Just a few days ago we had wondered if we'd even see one this year!
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| Lesser Redpoll |
A few minutes later on and we gained another bonus year tick when a Marsh Tit flew into the Oak that the feeders hang from. We had spent a few hours recently trying to find a Marsh Tit at another local site without success so seeing one here bird was well received indeed. Two year ticks in the space of five minutes was very surprising. Like I said, Otmoor is always good for something and you can often expect the unexpected.
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| Marsh Tit |
We chatted to our friend JR about birds and life in general. If you're reading this mate, we hope you're well enough to enjoy the birds again soon.
The bridleway bushes were extremely quiet until we came across a mixed flock of birds, largely composed of Long-tailed Tits. My attention was caught by a couple of Chiffchaffs that accompanied them. I was hoping for a Siberian but these were plain old Common Chiffchaffs. Interestingly a Siberian Chiffchaff was discovered in the reedbeds a few days later. A few early returning Fieldfare and Redwing breezed overhead without stopping.
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| Chiffchaff |
On the Greenaways side of the bridleway, a pair of Stonechats were busy feeding along the reed covered bank of the stream. There are several pairs of Stonechats on Otmoor and they'll stay for the winter unless the weather gets really harsh. The female of this pair posed nicely.
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| Stonechat |
We chatted with Kyle, he'd already been up to the screens and reported that there was little to be seen there. As we talked he spotted a Bittern take off from one of the patches of reeds on Greenaways and fly towards the first screen. Thinking that the Bittern may have landed close to the screen we went for a look but there was no sign. A cream-crowned Marsh Harrier patrolled the reedbed but as usual refused to come close enough for a decent photo opportunity. A distant Peregrine Falcon had set the Plover flocks up in panic but the action was all taking place over the Flood Field, and much too far away from where we stood.
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| Bittern (disappearing into the gloom) |
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| Marsh Harrier |
We returned to the feeding station and waited for the Marsh Tit so that I could get some better photos. After a few minutes the Marsh Tit did fly into the oak again, took a seed from one of the feeders and then flew back into the hedgerow. I had to be quick to grab a photo. This pattern was continued at intervals of just a few minutes over the next half hour until a Sparrowhawk breezed through. It usually takes birds a good twenty minutes or so to become confident again to reappear after a Sprawk attack. Normally we'd wait but the rain had increased in intensity so we thought better of it and headed home.
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| Marsh Tit |
There had been frequent reports of a Dusky Warbler from Weybourne on the North Norfolk coast. The Warbler had been seen regularly in a small stand of Willows right next to the beach carpark and a few reasonable photos of it had surfaced online so, with little happening locally and on a whim, on Sunday the 25th of October we thought we'd head out east again and have a look for ourselves. After the successful day out of the weekend before when we lucked in on the Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin and other good birds, we were hopeful that we'd have success again. This time we were able to stop for breakfast at the Breckland Lodge since there were no mega alerts received on the way.
We arrived just after nine o'clock and found a parking space at the edge of the approach road and thus avoided paying nearly five quid for the privilege of parking in the puddle filled pot-holes of the beach car park. Councils charging ridiculous fees to park in carparks and then not using the funds generated to upkeep those carparks is a big bugbear of mine and I therefore try to avoid donating to their obscene town-twinning association dinners and Christmas parties that they no doubt use the money for. It was a lovely sunny day, but also breezy. Brisk winds makes viewing birds in wispy trees like coastal willows more difficult and any birds in the trees will tend to stay well within the inner branches where it is protected from the breeze.
We joined the half dozen or so birders stood on the opposite side of the road from the trees. The Dusky warbler had been seen briefly about half an hour before but was proving very elusive. For the next hour we stared at the trees and saw very little. The most exciting event was listening to a Water Rail shrieking from within the Willows, the stand of trees were straddling a small stream and shallow pond. We needed to be a tad more proactive if we were going to see the Dusky Warbler which was definitely within the Willow stand somewhere. We found a small gap at the beach end of the trees and peered inside at the tangle of branches. The Water Rail sauntered slowly past at almost point-blank range before breaking into a full pelt run when a Moorhen emerged from our right. Three Dunnocks, the first of which caused momentary high excitement until we realised what it was, chased each other around the undergrowth but other than those nothing else stirred. We resumed our vigil at the roadside and then dived into another hole in the trees at the other end of the willows when somebody crawled out and left. From what I had garnered thus far, this was where the Dusky Warbler showed the most. By kneeling down in the squelchy mud, I had a clear view into the trees and Mrs Caley could also see over the top of my head. Instantly we began seeing birds, first a Cetti's warbler noisily travelled along the rear edge of the trees and was followed by a Robin. A Goldcrest fluttered through the branches just feet away. None of those birds would have been visible from the road.
There was movement in the leaves of a straggling bramble bush and I was quickly on to it. A few seconds later I was staring into the eye of the Dusky Warbler, my 235th bird of the year but before I could raise the camera it had dropped down into the denser undergrowth. All we had needed to do it seemed, was to gain this vantage point into the trees to produce instant results. Mrs Caley had seen the bird too so we were both happy. A fellow birder was ensconced in the trees just six feet away but she had missed the bird since her line of sight was obscured by the trunk of one of the Willows. The amount of twigs and leaves would give me great problems in trying to photograph the Dusky Warbler, the autofocus just couldn't cope so I would have to switch to manual. Manually focussing on quick and erratic moving small birds is a very difficult art to master, and as you'll see, one that haven't managed to yet! The bird may look focussed through the viewfinder but inevitably won't be and by the time the little green light flashes on to tell you that you've got the focus right the bird has moved to a different position.
It took ten minutes for the Dusky Warbler to reappear and it took us by surprise since it hopped into view on a log right by the edge of the pond and less than six feet away! This was the best view of a Dusky that I'd had since the first couple of sightings that I had in Suffolk back around the start of the new millennium but was too close for my lens to focus. I couldn't back away of course because if I did I'd be outside the trees and wouldn't be able to see the bird. The problems of a birder/togger but I tempered them by remembering some of the birds that I'd seen that were too far away for any decent views. The Dusky Warbler was slowly creeping up through the branches towards the same patch of brambles where I first saw it so I got ready with the camera and aimed at that spot. At least I managed to get a shot even if it didn't turn out to be a very good one.
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| Dusky Warbler |
I persevered but just couldn't get any clear shots at all, the Dusky Warbler always seemed to be obscured by a twigs and leaves. The bird is very similar to a Chiffchaff but is composed completely of cold brown tones and lacks any greenish hues to its plumage. Legs and bill are pale brown, not dark, and the supercilium is strong and buffy coloured. The wings and tailed were flicked nervously throughout its restless passage through the trees. The Warbler disappeared again and I viewed the back-of-the-camera images and was happy that I had at least captured the bird. Sadly when the final images were reviewed later, I discovered that I'd failed to get any that were even close to being sharp.
We chatted to our fellow watcher who sadly had still failed to see the bird, we had definitely picked the right spot from which to see the bird. While my attention was diverted, I heard Mrs Caley say that the Dusky Warbler was in full view and 'just sat there, next to the trunk'. For some inexplicable reason though I just couldn't find the bird and when I eventually did, the Dusky as birds are very apt to do, flew off the perch where it had been motionless for at least thirty-seconds and became active again and thus my chance at nailing a really good photo was gone. A lesson in right and left is needed and I'll hopefully get another chance next year.
The clamour outside of our little tree hide was increasing and after we didn't see the Dusky Warbler for another fifteen minutes, we decided it was time to go and see some other birds. Hawfinches had been reported at Holkham Hall and although we had the species on our year list already, you can never see enough of these chunky and impressive finches. Holkham is a tourist magnet and was inevitably heaving with visitors. Last year we had visited the Pines to twitch our first ever Hume's Leaf Warbler on an action packed day and were irritated at having to pay a small fortune to park our car on Lady Anne's Drive. This time we were lucky enough to be able to find a space in the small village carpark which thankfully is free for short stays and we were not intending to stay long since the whole area resembled Oxford Street on a Boxing Day lunchtime. The Hawfinches were reported to be feeding in some large Hornbeam trees just inside the entrance and we were there in just a few minutes. The few folk stood under the trees told us, that the Hawfinches, up to six of them, had been present but had flown off ten minutes before. I looked up at the top branches of one tree and said, 'what's that at the top of the tree then?'. A Hawfinch obviously!
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| Hawfinch |
We saw three Hawfinches in the tree, very high up, and they did indeed fly off after just a few minutes so it seems as though we had timed our visit perfectly. We quickly added Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Goldcrest to the day list and made to leave. A call of nature, not easy to find anywhere secluded enough in such a busy area but needs must, brought me almost face to face with some of the parks Fallow Deer herd. The males were sporting their remarkable and very impressive antlers since this is rutting time of year for all deer species. I was grateful therefore that the herd were all busy feeding quietly on the nettles and weeds and not concerned with my presence at all.
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| Fallow Deer |
We were on the road heading west within forty-five minutes of arriving at Holkham and were glad to be away from the hordes. I'm often bemused as to why so many folk choose to go to the same places but I guess that for us, it's good that they do because that leaves plenty of open spaces elsewhere. We pulled into a farm track and parked where we had a good clear overview of the western end of Holkham Pines about half a mile away. A Rough-legged Buzzard had been reported just fifteen minutes before soaring there. The walk out to the bird would be at least a mile each way and even though there were other good birds available it would have been too far for us in the time we had left. I found the Rough-legged Buzzard almost immediately, distant but good views through the scope. Another year tick secured.
Our last destination of the day was Thornham Harbour, which I knew was a reliable spot to see Twite, a small finch of northern climes that winter around more southerly coasts. We had only visited Thornham once before, on our way home from a Christmas break to Suffolk, we had been attracted by the report of Shorelarks there but had been beaten back by gale force winds on the day and left empty handed, other than seeing the Twite flock. At least it was somewhat calmer on this visit. The wintering Twite flock are usually encountered in and around some old wooden posts right at the end of the access road. It took me seconds to find them, resting on one of the posts. Twite are the epitome of 'little brown jobs' but they have understated beauty. They are a cute looking mix of brown and beige and have a short stubby yellowish bill. They are unobtrusive and largely quiet which all makes them very endearing.
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| Twite |
We watched the flock of seven Twite, our 237th species for the year, feed in the rank vegetation on the opposite side of the creek for a while, a dog had scared them off the posts, and then turned our attention to some of the other birds around the carpark area.
A Black-headed Gull stood sentry on another post and exhibited its true beauty while illuminated by the late afternoon sunshine. Apart from the Larophiles, most of us tend to overlook our native Gulls, only getting excited by the more scarce northern species, but they deserve more admiration. I guess the multitude of similar plumages shown by different species and the myriad of age variations defeat all except the real experts and the most ardent of Gull lovers. I struggle with them at times particularly the juvenile Gulls.
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| Black-headed Gull |
Wading birds were well represented in the channels. Many Waders have similar plumages too but help the birder out more than Gulls do by differing more in size, and in bill and leg length. There were Curlew, Dunlin and Redshank in profusion here.
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| Redshank |
The tide was coming in and was quickly filling the narrow creeks. A small flock of Knot and a couple of Bar-tailed Godwit were feeding in the same creek that the Twite were next to and the incoming water was forcing them nearer to our vantage point. Both species at this time of year are fairly nondescript grey birds, a stark contrast to the deep red colours that they sport during the summer breeding season. The Knot are readily identifiable by their shortish bills, dumpy bodies and yellow legs.
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| Knot |
Bar-tailed Godwits differ from those by having longer bills and legs but are very similar to Black-tailed Godwits. Obviously if the tail can be seen then separating those two is easy, otherwise it can be tricky. The Bar-tailed Godwit also has a very well marked pale supercilium that the Black-tailed doesn't and has more patterned upper parts so can be identified even if the usually shorter and slightly upturned bill of the Bar-tailed can't be ascertained.
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| Bar-tailed Godwit |
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