TonyQ: Big Year 2023

[TonyQ]

109.UK.109 Sanderling  Calidris alba           

Titchwell Marsh, Norfolk         18.04.23

Titchwell Marsh, Norfolk         18.04.23

I really like Sanderling! I love to see them scurrying across the sand. Very small and very fast moving.

When we first started birding we thought that Grey Plover and Sanderling looked much alike in our bird book. When we saw them in real life it was impossible to confuse the two - such different "characters".

[TonyQ]

110.UK.110 Yellowhammer  Emberiza citrinella       

Titchwell Road near Cholesley, Norfolk         18.04.23

Titchwell Road is a small lane very close to Titchwell VIllage and virtually opposite the reserve. (In our book the area is known as Cholesley Barns)

It is a very quiet lane with hedges on both sides for much of the length. We drove up and down slowly with the car windows open.

I was taking this picture out of the passenger window and MrsQ was taking a picture out of her window.

When we had finished I found out she was taking a photo of a Corn Bunting.

So we returned next morning..

[michael-ibk]

Beautiful photos Tony! I'm very fond of Sanderlings myself, love the way they are playing catch with the waves. 

[TonyQ]

111.UK.111 Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra          

Very high on a cable, Titchwell Road near Cholesley, Norfolk         19.04.23

Quite a rare sight for us (only our third sighting in the UK)

[xelas]

Indeed excellent photos, @TonyQ! Looks to me that you have already mastered the R7.

[PeterHG]

I agree with the others about the photos, Tony, excellent stuff!

[Galana]

Excellent results. I too am a great fan of Sanderling. An unremarkable little bird at first sight but your 2nd photo really captures its character.

Extremely envious of your Grey Partridges. Yet to appear in my BY although I have seen and heard them .

[Zim Girl]

Some more great birds from Norfolk.  I also really liked the Grey Partridge picture, I have never seen one!

[TonyQ]

@Zim Girl@Galana @PeterHGthank you

@xelasthank you - you are very kind. Not mastered but learning

Using it ever day for a week certainly helps.

A few more

112.UK.112 Barnacle Goose  Branta leucopsis           

Holkham Hall, Norfolk 18.04.23

I think a group of these stay here all year!

[TonyQ]

113.UK.113 Egyptian Goose  Alopochen aegyptiacus    

Holkham Hall, Norfolk 18.04.23

[TonyQ]

114.UK.114 Turnstone  Arenaria interpres   

Hunstanton Cliffs, Norfolk       19.04.23

Hunstanton Cliffs, Norfolk       19.04.23

I enjoy seeing Turnstones digging around for food

[TonyQ]

115.UK.115 Fulmar  Fulmarus glacialis        

The cliffs are quite low so we are relatively close to the nesting birds, Hunstanton Cliffs, Norfolk       19.04.23

Hunstanton Cliffs, Norfolk       19.04.23

[TonyQ]

116.UK.116 Knot  Calidris canutus   

Snettisham Nature Reserve, Norfolk  19.04.23

 

The Snettisham Spectacular happens at very high tides. Luckily this happened while we were in Norfolk, and it also happened at a reasonable time of day. Thousand and thousands of birds (mainly Knot) feed at the edge of the incoming tide and come closer and closer. They remain fairly distant, so not great for individual portraits, but the overall impression of sheer numbers and chaos is very impressive. The photos are an attempt to give an impression....

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

Wow - very cool to see. 

[Kitsafari]

On 5/9/2023 at 9:05 PM, TonyQ said:

95.UK.95 Long-billed Dowitcher  Limnodromus scolopaceus  

A New Bird for us!       

Cley Marshes, Norfolk            16.04.23

This is a Vagrant from North America with a few hundred records for the UK. This one had been at Cley for a few weeks so we were pleased that it stayed for our visit! It has since left.

 

 

 

 

 

what a shame for us! it would have been a  lifer

[Kitsafari]

finally caught up -- congrats on the 100th special bird - it's really stunning in breeding colours. 

[TonyQ]

@michael-ibk @Kitsafarithank you

 

A few duplicates

Oystercatcher - there were loads of these about in Norfolk

Reed Bunting singing to the world at Cley

Herring Gull from our balcony

 

[TonyQ]

A slight diversion for a few non-avian sightings

Roe Deer (hares in the background) - and I only notice the baby deer in the hedge when processing the photo!

We also saw Muntjac, Chinese Water Deer (first time we have seen them), and some Fallow Deer that were in a Deer Park at Holkham Hall.

 

The next mammal sightings were very special to us - I have only had one very brief glimpse before these.

The first ones were in Titchwell RSPB reserve. We wandered past a track that is off limits to visitors and saw this heading towards us

A stoat - and it continued down the track towards us - seemingly oblivious to us.

 

 

We were thrilled to see this beautiful animal so well.

And then when we were looking for Corn Bunting in a lane close to Titchwell we had a brief glimpse of another animal in a field by the side of the lane

This one caught sight of us and ran off - but both sightings were real highlights for us!

 

 

[TonyQ]

And as it is a birding thread....

We headed home from North Norfolk via Welney reserve.

It had been badly flooded (even for a wetland!) and many of the local fields were still flooded. It did mean that the birds were often distant and very spread out.

 

117.UK.117 Black-winged Stilt  Himantopus himantopus  

A new bird for the UK for us - quite a reare sighting here 

Very distant but identifiable, Welney WWT Reserve, Norfok          22.04.23

We also saw Garganey at a similar distance, but I have since got better shots which I will post later.

 

[TonyQ]

118.UK.118 Whooper Swan  Cygnus cygnus           

Welney WWT Reserve, Norfok          22.04.23

Whooping!, Welney WWT Reserve, Norfok          22.04.23

A lot visit in Winter, most return North but a small number stay

[TonyQ]

119.UK.119 Great White Egret  Ardea alba

Distant but identifiable, Welney WWT Reserve, Norfok          22.04.23

[TonyQ]

120.UK.120 Tree Sparrow  Passer montanus           

Welney WWT Reserve, Norfok          22.04.23

I presume with nesting material (?), Welney WWT Reserve, Norfok          22.04.23

We don't see many of these so always a pleasure to find them

[BRACQUENE]

Some great shots Tony : love the Tree Sparrow which I still have to find this year 

[Tdgraves]

I haven’t been to Welney in a while @TonyQbut it didn’t strike me as being particularly wet when I was there.

[TonyQ]

@BRACQUENEthank you

@Tdgravessome of the hides were out of action as they had been flooded and one was still partially under water. We saw a number of fields in the area still under water. I think it was flooded in January, February and footpaths were closed then because of the floods.

This was our first visit so I don't know what it is usually like.