Norfolk Birding Exclusive Day – 20th April 2021

The day started very well with a short and quick stop for Stone Curlew, also accompanied nearby with another target…2-3 of the Tree Sparrows! There was 2 Stone Curlew and pretty reasonable views through the scope, I grabbed a quick record shot below whilst Tim & Ann enjoyed the scope views!

We then headed South and took a nice walk with lots of birds at Santon Downham. Plenty of Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, nice views of Crossbill coming down to drink, a few Brambling several Blackcap, Chiff-chaff and a singing Willow Warbler was nice and showy. We also added Great Spotted Woodpecker, Treecreeper, Nuthatch & Marsh Tit. It was then a vigil waiting around for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. We were rather lucky, a couple of other birders had passed 3 hours with no luck, but we were fortunate as after just 30 minutes a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker arrived and we had pretty good if slightly distant scope views, Tim & Ann were over the moon as it was there second new species of the morning!

We then headed off to a new clear fell area, and our good run of birds continued with at least 4 Woodlarks showing, with 2 birds up and singing, then one bird carrying food to a nest. Behind us a Tree Pipit sang constanty vying for attention with a vociferous Yellowhammer, also a female Stonechat.

We stopped for a late lunch, it was clouding over and cool now, with hardly a breath of wind, scanning for raptors produced Sparrowhawk, Buzzard and a Red Kite, but it wasn’t really the right conditions for Goshawk & we decided after a lunch break to move on.

We rounded off the day in efficient fashion….no sooner had we arrived at Lynford and a singing Firecrest was on show in the car park area and even showed long enough to grab some images!