The end of Autumn

After the calm autumn weather of the previous week, it was something of a return to winter with low temperatures and blustery winds throughout the weekend. Saturday was spent at Snettisham searching the fields behind the inner bank in the hope of locating the Dersingham Rough legged Buzzard, with highlights for the day including 13 Barnacle Geese, two of the three female Scaup, 60 Snow Buntings and a single Peregrine. After searching the fields between the pits and the A149, it would seem that the most suitable vantage point (assuming that the bird heads out towards The Wash to feed) would be the narrow section of inner sea wall that leads to the pumping station at the southern end of the reserve.




Mealy Redpoll Titchwell RSPB

More obvious in the field, with the low evening sun enhancing the brown colour tones.

After an unsuccessful Bittern watch at Holme I caught the bus to Brancaster, to walk the section of coastal path towards Burnham Deepdale, in the vague hope of locating any Twite. Needless to say that I failed to see any (are there any reliable sites left on the North Norfolk coast other than Titchwell??) with two White fronted and four Barnacle Geese, feeding in the grazing fields opposite Brancaster golf course, providing the highlight of the walk. An afternoon visit to Titchwell produced an obliging Mealy Redpoll, feeding in the Alders behind the feeders, a ringtail Hen Harrier over the reedbed, and an Arctic Skua causing panick over the fresh marsh, with excellent numbers of Teal and a steady procession of Gulls and Lapwings coming in to roost.