January 9th Norfolk Group Day tour
Today was a group day tour based mainly around the Holkham area, but finishing off with a raptor roost.
Highlights were a lovely flock of 110+ Snow Bunting, Velvet Scoter amongst the Common Scoter flock on the shoreline, also a Red-necked Grebe on the sea, Red-breasted Mergansers and Eider. Superb close up views of many waders along Lady Anne’s drive with a lovely flock of Black-tailed Godwit performing right next to where we parked along with Snipe, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Redshank, Ruff & thousands of Wigeon, Teal interspersed with Gadwall, Shoveler and Mallard.
Out on the grazing marsh and in the skies there were hundreds of Pink-footed geese, though these numbers were surpassed at dusk as 7-8000 came into roost, always a wonderful sight.
At the roost a ringtail Hen harrier, a perched Merlin albeit briefly and several Marsh harriers.
66 species recorded list below
| 1 | Greylag Goose | 100 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 2 | Pink-footed Goose | 7000 | Holkham NNR–roosted |
| 3 | Dark-bellied Brent Goose | 100 | Holkham NNR–Warham |
| 4 | Mute Swan | 2 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 5 | Egyptian Goose | 2 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 6 | Common Shelduck | 8 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 7 | Northern Shoveler | 6 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 8 | Gadwall | 4 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 9 | Eurasian Wigeon | 2000 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 10 | Mallard | 12 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 11 | Eurasian Teal | 500 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 12 | Common Eider | 7 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Shore and Bay |
| 13 | Velvet Scoter | 3 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Shore and Bay |
| 14 | Common Scoter | 300 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Shore and Bay |
| 15 | Red-breasted Merganser | 2 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Shore and Bay |
| 16 | Grey Partridge | 4 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 17 | Common Pheasant | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 18 | Little Grebe | 6 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 19 | Red-necked Grebe | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Shore and Bay |
| 20 | Great Crested Grebe | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Shore and Bay |
| 21 | Common Woodpigeon | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 22 | Common Moorhen | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 23 | Eurasian Oystercatcher | 2 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 24 | European Golden Plover | 200 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 25 | Northern Lapwing | 300 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 26 | Eurasian Curlew | 100 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 27 | Black-tailed Godwit | 50 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 28 | Red Knot | 4 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Shore and Bay |
| 29 | Ruff | 2 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 30 | Sanderling | 20 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Shore and Bay |
| 31 | Common Snipe | 4 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 32 | Common Redshank | 10 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 33 | Black-headed Gull | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 34 | Common Gull | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 35 | Herring Gull | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 36 | Great Cormorant | 12 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Shore and Bay |
| 37 | Great White Egret | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 38 | Little Egret | 6 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 39 | Western Marsh Harrier | 5 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 40 | Hen Harrier | 1 | Holkham NNR–Warham |
| 41 | Eurasian Sparrowhawk | 1 | Holkham NNR–Warham |
| 42 | Red Kite | 4 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 43 | Common Buzzard | 5 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 44 | Common Kestrel | 2 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 45 | Merlin | 1 | Holkham NNR–Warham |
| 46 | Eurasian Jay | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 47 | Eurasian Jackdaw | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 48 | Rook | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 49 | Carrion Crow | 2 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 50 | Eurasian Blue Tit | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 51 | Great Tit | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 52 | Eurasian Skylark | 2 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 53 | Long-tailed Tit | 2 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 54 | Goldcrest | 2 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 55 | Eurasian Treecreeper | 2 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 56 | Eurasian Wren | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 57 | Common Starling | 20 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 58 | Song Thrush | 1 | Holkham NNR–Warham |
| 59 | European Robin | 2 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 60 | Dunnock | 1 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 61 | Pied Wagtail | 2 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 62 | Rock Pipit | 5 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Shore and Bay |
| 63 | Common Chaffinch | 4 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 64 | Common Linnet | 30 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Shore and Bay |
| 65 | European Goldfinch | 15 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Fresh Marsh |
| 66 | Snow Bunting | 110 | Holkham NNR–Holkham Shore and Bay |