Birding in Happisburgh, Norfolk

My second time up to visit Grandparents-in-law in Happisburgh, this time I had the best part of 4 days rather than the 1 day in Autumn last year! Between Tim (my wife's Grandad) and I, we managed 86 species, which we were pleased with. Most came from dog walks along Happisburgh beach, adding a few more on a quick trip out in the car down the country lanes (finding Grey Partridge), a couple of hours at Cley Marshes Nature Reserve to add waders, ducks and geese etc, plus a trip to Norwich and Whitlingham Country Park. Here are a selection of photos from the trip:

Female Black Redstart at Happisburgh

Meadow Pipit

Small Tortoiseshell

Sandwich Tern, Common and Herring Gulls

Turnstones and Ringed Plover

Sanderling and Turnstone

Kestrel

Buzzard

Grey Partridge at Happisburgh

Yellowhammer

Pair of Grey Partridge at Happisburgh

Skylarks (never seen so many in my life!)

Three Hares behind Cley Visitor Centre

Lapwing

Black-tailed Godwit

Curlew and Lapwing

Male Marsh Harrier

Redshank

Wood Pigeon and Wigeon

Shelduck, Avocets and Gadwall

Mute Swan

Marsh Harriers (male left, female right)

Avocet and Ruff

Skylark

Brent Geese

Redshank and Lapwing

Peregrine at Norwich Cathedral

Egyptian Gosling

Egyptian Goose and Gosling

Great Crested Grebe at Whitlingham Country Park

Recent Sightings

This morning brought about our third ever sighting of a Peregrine, just a 30 second view as it passed over the car park on its way to the coast. The Treecreeper(s) are still visiting most days and up to 5 Bullfinches are still spending much of the day in the flowering Cherry tree.

Treecreeper

Male Bullfinch

Goldcrests are also quite regular at the minute though proving difficult to photograph! The Nature Area is very busy with Goldfinches, Greenfinches & Chaffinches, the female Brambling was also back again on the morning of the 11th for a brief spell. There are at least 4 Robins and as many Blackbirds searching for food and fighting for territory, the Wren is showing very nicely at the minute too, searching for food in all the little nooks and crannies under the rocks and logs around the pond. I spent a while yesterday morning putting in a new 'tripod' of logs to hang more feeders on and also tidied up around the pond, probably disturbing a few grubs in the process for the Wrens, Robins and Blackbirds to find.

Robin on the 'Red Kite Perch' - not that we've ever had a Red Kite on there...

Female Blackbird having a go at the Squirrel Buster

Goldfinch

Wren with a tiny grub

Back in the shop we have taken delivery of the full complement of Vanguard binoculars, available to try out and purchase in store or buy online: www.shop.featherswildbirdcare.co.uk/vanguard.html

Happisburgh, Norfolk

A day trip to visit family in Norfolk wouldn't be complete without a bit of birding - it's hard not to when wherever you go there are good birds to be had! A should-be-5-minute walk to the beach took 25 with all the stopping for photos. A flock of 200 or more Golden Plover in the field, occasionally taking off and landing back in the same spot. More Skylarks than you can shake a stick, not easy to photograph mind you. Only a small skein of Pink footed Geese, unfortunately time was of the essence to we didn't get to go further along the coast. Linnets, Meadow Pipits and Goldfinches in good size groups, lots of Gulls but nothing much else out at sea and a Kestrel hunting on the beach. A lunch time visit to Norwich Cathedral was possibly the highlight of the day as a Peregrine circled above us, landing once or twice on the platform before gracing the blue sky once more. What more could you want? A good few more days I suppose!