Weekend Day trips

Hello,

Over the weekend I spent both days on car trips the one on Sunday was with the Northamptonshire Bird Club to the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire and the one on Saturday visiting a couple of sites inside of Norfolk.

First of in Norfolk we visited Dersingham Bog which provided a life tick on the form of two singing Woodlark, this put me up to 225 Bird Species in the UK. Other birds on this site included a pair of Stonechat and plenty of Siskins with some flying over and others feeding on the coniferous trees around the bog.

Stonechat

Next site was Hunstanton to attempt to capture some shots of Fulmars which were breeding on the cliffs, they were very difficult to capture behind the bushes on the cliff top but I am pleased with just one image out of a hundred. Other birds were Brent Geese flying under us, confiding Turnstones and plenty of waders on the rocks below. 

Fulmar

Turnstone

We then visited the RSPB reserve Titchwell which was very good too. It provided views of more Siskins around the car park in quite close waters but just in the dull conditions hence no pictures but there was also two Brambling there two. We slowly walked up towards the coast which provided views of about 120 Common Scoter and a couple of Sanderlings, on the walk up to the coast it provided close quarter views of the Avocets which are now starting to pair up. We also saw a Water Pipit, three Marsh Harrier, common coastal Waders and Waterfowl. 

Grey Plover

Avocet

Teal

Little Egret

We then raced home when news came through that 11 Common Scoters were on my patch which is Pitsford Reservoir. We saw them while seeing a Dunlin and a adult Mediterranean Gull. 

Sunday began and we found ourselves in the Forest of Dean but before we were watching some Penduline Tits on a lay by pit, they seemed very vocal and ready to move on. In the Forest of Dean we espied on some Hawfinches which have taken up residence at Parkends Green, three displaying Goshawks at New Fancy view which was shut off till 10:30am due to a half marathon, some Mandarin Ducks at Cannop Ponds and Symonds Yat Rock provided plenty of Buzzards and Ravens while a Peregrine went off on a probable hunting trip. 

My second life tick of the weekend was a Great Grey Shrike which was watched eating Newts at Crab Tree Hill, while were there some Crossbills were whizzing around, a couple of Stonechats and a Goosander. 

Regards, 

Jacob

Hawfinch

Great Grey Shrike

Raven

Penduline Tit

Mandarin Duck