13th August Norfolk Exclusive days guiding

An exclusive afternoon and evening for a family group. Birding started right outside their accommodation where there was a nice group of House Martins and Swallows!

We started off at North Point, Wells-next-the-sea where there was a nice selection of birds, including a lovely flock of c250 Black-tailed Godwits, in amongst these were at least 6 Ruff. At the back of the pools there was a feeding Spoonbill a great bird for the children to watch. The other pools held 2 Green Sandpiper plus a nice surprise was a Wood Sandpiper that dropped into feed alongside them. I then noted a Little Ringed Plover also feeding in the same area. As we watched these several Curlew flew over and and we also heard a Whimbrel passing over. A superb adult Marsh harrier was hunting and a very nicely marked juvenile Marsh Harrier was watched perched along the fenceline.

We then headed to Titchwell, we walked out to Patsy’s where there was a selection of wildfowl, most notable were Little Grebe and Gadwall. Also in the pools was great views of a smart Great White Egret. We then walked round to the main lagoon, where we spent the next hour looking through a good spread of waders, 25 Pied Avocet, 30 Black-tailed Godwit (Icelandic) 25 Ruff, 40 Dunlin, 60 Northern Lapwing, 2 Common Snipe and 6 Common Redshank.

From here we walked down to the beach, the saltmarsh held 2 Turnstone, plus along the shoreline Oystercatcher, Bar-tailed Godwit and more Curlew.

We had a late afternoon picnic, then headed to Burnham Norton, where we did a circular walk, unfortunately no Barn owls hunting, but a nice group of 6 Snipe, plus Marsh harrier, Common Sandpiper, 2 Greenshank, 25 Curlew, and 5 Cattle Egrets