August 2025

John and I drove up to Flamborough where we would be spending the night and after depositing our luggage in our B and B, drove to Thornwick Bay where after enjoying a lovely meal in the North Star, watched many Gannets flying by. En route we stopped at Long Sutton where we watched my eldest son Mark play cricket at Long Sutton cricket ground where he was playing for the President’s eleven against Long Sutton. He was rather a star as he took 5 wickets for 21 runs and also scored the winning runs!

John and I drove to Oaklands Wedding Venue near Driffield from Flamborough where we attended the wedding of Matt and Amy. It was a beautiful day and we had lots of comments about not being dressed in our usual attire! No birding was done all day except I did notice a Woodpigeon as I sat on the terrace with a Pimms in my hand!

A very happy birthday to my daughter Kathryn.

At last I had a whole day at home by myself which enabled me to get my trip report to Botswana done. It can be seen from my home page or by clicking the link here: https://norfolkbirders.co.uk/botswana-2025/

I had another early start and motored down to Oxford where I am on grandparent duties looking after my two granddaughters whilst my daughter works. After a cycle ride around the village we stopped at the play park so the children could play and I could have a rest watching Swallows, House Martins and Swifts. Two Red Kites also put in appearance.

Back at my daughter’s home Hannah found a Long-tailed Field Mouse in the garden which the children looked after for quite some time as they were concerned for its welfare.

After a lovely day yesterday looking after Hannah and visiting an animal park and following a nature trail, today we went to RSPB Otmoor where some of the pools had dried out. However after a long walk we eventually arrived at a bird screen where Hannah and I watched a Glossy Ibis, three Great White Egrets, Little Ringed Plover, three Common Snipe, Pied Wagtail and a multitude of Mallards all in eclipse plumage. By the end of our visit Hannah had logged 16 species in her notebook. Although she is only just 6 years old her concentration was very good as she spotted various birds on the scrape and around the reserve.

A very happy birthday to John.

For once I have a few hours at home, so after mowing my lawns and catching up with a few domestics last night, Plan A was to do some gardening but it was just so lovely this morning and I knew the heather would be in full bloom on Roydon Common Plan B was put into operation and I went for a walk on the common. I watched a few Stonechat, Linnet and two Lesser Whitethroat before meeting up with Collette. She had seen a juvenile Cuckoo which I was keen to see and I asked her whether she had seen the Common Cranes. She hadn’t and luckily I found them and was able to show her where they have been this summer.

I carried on walking up along the fence line where family parties of Stonechats seemed to everywhere. A Common Whitethroat flew along in front of me but did not pose for my camera. I stopped at the quarry and then retraced my steps. The juvenile Cuckoo sat for a split second in one of the Elder bushes but did not sit long enough for a photograph. I watched it fly over the heather and evaporate! A Red Kite soared above me as a Green Woodpecker called as it flew by me. It was a beautiful morning and lovely to be up in the peacefulness of the common as many Gatekeepers and Small Heaths flew by.

Whilst John and I were sat on the patio this evening having our tea, I spotted a Hobby flying over. We watched it for a while as it got higher and higher and as it seemed to be hanging around I fetched my camera just in time to see the most amazing swoop down towards us. It caught a bird from one of our trees. The swoop was too fast for me but I did get a lucky shot of it as it flew off with a juvenile Long-tailed Tit in its claws which you can see from the second photograph.

Because of my time spent in Oxford looking after my grandchildren last week I was a bit late in treating John to his birthday meal celebration. He wanted to visit Ranworth and have lunch in the sun at the pub there. However we needed Sacha to try and find some flights for us for later in the year and set off for Ranworth as soon as we had this sorted.

We walked down the board walk to the visitor centre where we saw a Swallowtail Caterpillar but sadly no butterflies or Ospreys even though they had been seen earlier in the day. A Great Crested Grebe and one lone Common Tern amongst the gulls were the only birds of note. We enjoyed our lunch which was far too much for us, as it was just so hot but enjoyed our beer and cider. We followed this with some people-watching in their boats whilst we sat like two old codgers eating our ice-creams. Still it’s better than working for a living! They tell me it’s what retirement is all about!

I was up in the middle of the night to be down at Snettisham RSPB by 5.15am to meet up with the RSPB staff and volunteers as it was the first of the new seasons ‘Wader Spectaculars’ at Snettisham this morning, where I was volunteering to help the staff welcoming all the visitors that had come to see the amazing spectacle that the waders give when the high tides cover the feeding grounds out in The Wash. No matter how many times I see this (and I have been admiring it for over 30 years) I never cease to be amazed.

Just after dawn broke I watched 20 Little Egrets come out of roost on the first pit by the chalets. I drove up to the crossbank where 2 Spoonbills flew by me to join the 25 other Spoonbills on the southern pit. After sorting out a visitor who had parked in the wrong place I watched the tide come in and the waders starting to give their amazing shapes as they flew around over The Wash. I gathered a few visitors around me and together we stood in amazement at the shapes they made. After the visitors had all arrived I joined Carrie and Vicky and together we helped visitors in the hides and eventually joined Les in Knots Landing where the Red Knot, Black-tailed Godwit, Turnstone, Dunlin, Avocet, Spoonbill, Little Egrets gave us excellent photographic opportunities.

Sad news

It was sad to see a dead Sowerby’s Beaked Whale on the beach this morning.

Good news

The Booted Eagle that I saw in Cornwall in November 1999 has at long last been accepted onto the British List!

It was a real treat once again as I arrived at Snettisham. It was another glorious morning as I greeted visitors to another ‘Wader Spectacular’ at Snettisham RSPB. The sun was shining and it was already warm as I watched the waders swirling around on the mud before settling in front of the chalets where they remained until the tide pushed them off once again. I could see Oystercatchers and more Knot out on the mud and they too lifted off and swirled around before settling back down again. A Knot and Turnstone ran in the water by the side of me, so I grabbed my camera before being joined by several friends who had also made the effort to get up early to enjoy the spectacle. A Wood Sandpiper flew over and continued flying along the pits.

Eventually most of the visitors had been dealt with and I joined Les by the parking bays and we walked to Knots Landing where we admired the Black-tailed Godwit, Knot, Dunlin and Turnstones on the islands in front of us. I was feeling a bit light-headed in the heat and want to thank the lady who kindly offered me some biscuits that saved the day. Thank you! Thirty Spoonbills were roosting on the bank along with several Little Egrets in the pits.

I walked back to the wader watchpoint and joined Nick, Pete and Chris and we watched a Clouded Yellow Butterfly and a very distant Osprey which seemed to accompany a Red Kite which flew through.

I have been at home all day today as I needed to have a day of domestic chores in readiness for my son and his family who will be arriving for a long weekend as, once again I shall be ‘Nanny in charge’ so that the adults can attend the Stereophonics concert at Sandringham. My little road is already like the M25 as folks try to avoid the carnage on the main roads, which is already busy due to the holiday day-trippers up to the coast because of the summer holidays and good weather. I have only noted a few Greenfinches on my feeders as I glanced out of the kitchen window as I reached for the Pimms after I had finished my exertions!

However I have spent some of my time sorting out final details of a trip that John and I hope to take at the end of the year which will hopefully add another iconic mammal to our list and a bucket list trip for John on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere! ( It will be an adventure for me too!)

Amongst all the emails I received today, was an email giving me details from Jenny Gill and Chris Batey about a ringed Black-tailed Godwit ON-LR which I had submitted details about to the Project Godwit. Apparently it is not one of the head-started ones but a bird that was ringed in Iceland as a chick!

With my family expected early this afternoon I got up early and had Roydon Common all to myself. The heather was looking beautiful in the sunlight. It was already very warm but there was a light breeze which made it a little more comfortable to walk. Along the first stretch of the common after leaving the trees, there were two family parties of Stonechats who were vying for the space along the fence line with a Common Whitethroat. Instead of following the fence line I went through the gate and up through the field but with the exception of a warbler growling in one of the gorse bushes I only saw Large White butterflies, Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns. Bird-wise it was deathly silent.

I retraced my steps and returned to the ridgeline where more Stonechats were sitting on the fence. It was another good day to see them but they were all juvenile birds or mounting adults looking very scruffy! A helicopter flew over my head towards Sandringham and it wasn’t long before an infernal noise struck up. No doubt Mariah Carey getting a bit of practice in for tonight’s concert. With the end of my peaceful walk, I turned around and re-saw many of the Stonechats again. Once back at home, and I am glad to say the noise had stopped, a Marsh Harrier flew over my garden. I grabbed my camera but it was now very high up so it’s a bit of a heavily cropped image!

As my son Jonathan’s family are staying with me, I was ‘Nanny in charge’ once again to my twin grandsons Ted and George as Jonathan and Sarah drove off to Sandringham to watch Stereophonics along with 30,000 others! The concerts (4 days of it) have been a nightmare for those of us living nearby, as local roads and lanes have been closed and my road had been one of the main arteries for the route to Sandringham! Luckily, I was able to wiggle my way through the stationary queue heading for the concert, squeezing my way through all the abandoned cars on my side of the road for those who had decided to give up the queuing and decided to walk to the venue (which would have been much quicker). Eventually Ted, George and I arrived at Roydon Common where we had a lot of fun picking blackberries, which George was very good at (and had a lot in his pot) and Ted who had very few in his pot with most of his arriving in his tummy!

I had to laugh when Ted insisted that the pots were evened up at the end of our labours! We watched Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown butterflies and the boys watched a Marsh Harrier through my binoculars. It was another glorious evening which the three of us enjoyed. We could hear the noise from Sandringham on the common and I’m told by Jonathan and Sarah it was a good evening at the concert too when they eventually got home.

After bidding my family farewell I spent the rest of the day on chores and doing some gardening. Along with my neighbour, we watched a flock of Greenfinches, Long-tailed Tits and Blue Tits arrive in one of my Silver Birches. It was quite a big flock and lovely to listen too against the noise coming from Sandringham.

After spending the morning trimming my back garden hedges, I drove down to Snettisham and met up with a few friends. I parked at the end of the chalets and watched a Spoonbill fly by which joined the other 62 on site down on the southern-most pit. I walked down the front of the chalets and together we searched through the gulls and terns roosting on the mud. It was a very low, high tide prediction today and the water didn’t even come up to the chalets at high tide. Chris and Denise were reading the rings on the Mediterranean Gulls and Dave and I searched through the terns many times with our scopes. Sandwich Terns, Common Terns and Little Terns were the only ones we could find despite a few Common Terns seemingly having bright-red bills with either no or very little black tips but try as we might we could not find any Roseate or Arctic Terns despite our best efforts.

Jim wandered along and failed to locate an Oystercatcher chick that had disappeared overnight. I also had a look for it but could not find it. It was either hiding or had been predated overnight. Gra arrived and together we watched the waders (mostly Knot) swirl up into the air but there was no evidence of anything having put them up. They eventually settled back down again. After several hours of watching the wind got up and the temperature was beginning to fall so we all beat a retreat.

Update to Black-tailed Godwit ring: The Project Godwit team have been very good keeping me updated about the ring number and photo that I sent in of a Black-tailed Godwit roosting on the pits, as they have tried to find out more information about the bird. At first they though it had come from Iceland but after a response from Iceland saying it was not one of their’s  I received this email from Ian Nicholson.

Good afternoon everyone.  Yes, I agree that this is a black flag.  These Orange over Black flag birds (there are 14 of them) come from a pilot scheme which we ran with the Lower Derwent Valley NNR in spring this year.  They wanted to establish whether it was worthwhile for them to start their own project without going through the admin etc involved in setting it up.  They have now decided that it is worthwhile to start their own scheme next year.

This bird was ringed at Wheldrake Ings in East Yorkshire on 12^th March this year as an adult female.  I don’t have details of subsequent re-sightings, but Sue, I will ask one of the Lower Derwent team to let you have these.

Many thanks for reporting your sighting.

Best wishes,

Ian Nicholson

Carrie arrived this morning as planned and together we walked across Roydon Common and onto Grimston Warren. The heather was spectacular in full bloom as we walked through it following the small path. The birds were few and far between but we did see a few Stonechats, but none posed for a photograph. We reached the dragonfly pools but they were all dry after the drought we have had. I was surprised to see how all the Willow trees have grown up around The Delft area and how the track has vegetated up. We retraced our route and could see the Common Cranes in the distance in their usual spot.

We returned back home and set off for the pub at Gayton, where we enjoyed a nice lunch together before I headed to Docking to collect some seeds that I wanted and called back into the hide at Abbey Farm, Flitcham. As expected the spring-fed pool and River Babingley were completely dry and with the exception of a few Woodpigeons that I saw flying over, I did not see another bird!

Back at home and mindful that I haven’t taken any photographs in the last couple of days, I stepped outside for a few minutes and took a few photos from the garden. Blue Tit, Greenfinch and Goldfinch were in the trees and shrubs as a Common Buzzard flew over.

Another day in the garden getting rid of the Broad Bean plants and weeding before the contractors arrive, so my birding was limited to just a few garden birds after I filled up my feeder.

John and I met up with Alan and together we drove to Frampton Marsh RSPB where we met up with the rest of the NarVOS group signed up for the outdoor meeting. It was Jacob’s 12th birthday so we all sang him Happy Birthday in the car park before we walked to the Visitor Centre which was still closed. I think we were all shocked at how dry the reserve was as their main pump had broken and although there was water in the channels, there were only a few small pools of water with most of the reserve bone dry. This did not bode well for our visit.

In front of the Visitor Centre we saw Black-tailed Godwit, Teal, Mallard, Ruff, Meadow Pipit, Goldfinch and Pied Wagtails, whilst in one of the pools at the back we added Shelduck, Little Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Little Stint. When everyone had seen them all we set off with the intention of walking to the 360 hide passing Avocet en route. When we reached the entrance to the path to the 360 hide, there was little point going to it as the whole area was bone dry and so we went into the reedbed hide, where we watched more Little Stint, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff and Shoveler. It gave us some photographic opportunities for those of us with cameras before we continued on a circular route back to the visitor centre. We stopped on a mound and had a Peregrine fly over our heads.

Once in the Visitor Centre we all sat down for various refreshments and talked about our recent trips to Africa as four of us had just returned from there. Once we were all replete we drove up to the sea bank passing an injured Whooper Swan where we watched at least three Marsh Harriers, Curlew, Redshank, Skylark, Kestrel and a Spoonbill which flew by us. We turned around and walked the other way along the sea bank. Fortunately four Golden Plover dropped onto the reserve. After some scanning we watched a Merlin sat on a post which I had seen earlier amongst some Starlings but it had flown over the sea bank and I had lost sight of it.

We walked back to the cars and joined Jacob and family back at the Visitor Centre, where we enjoyed some cup cakes to celebrate Jacob’s birthday. Thank you Jacob, they were delicious!

We bid Phil, Linda and Clinton goodbye and some of us drove to the reservoir where we added Pintail, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Common Snipe and Yellow Wagtails. It had been a lovely convivial day with good company, if a little thin on the birding front.

After returning back home, John and I grabbed some tea and drove to Titchwell where we immersed ourselves in the gull roost watching several Yellow-legged Gulls and Caspian Gulls amongst the more familiar gulls and terns. It was a beautiful sunset over Thornham Harbour as we walked back up the West Bank path

John and I were up early and I made an early run down to the supermarket, before the mayhem that would surely take place on the A149 later in the day, being a Bank Holiday weekend. I had been asked to write up yesterday’s visit to Frampton Marsh RSPB for the NarVOS newsletter and spent the rest of the morning doing this and sorting out some photos to accompany it.

By lunchtime it was still very cloudy and since my life has been rather hectic over the last few weeks, I decided to spend the rest of the day at home sorting out some photographs for a Power Point talk, that I have also been asked to do for NarVOS next year. At least this means that I get to sit down, which makes a nice change for me! Many people don’t realise how long it takes to get a talk together, It’s not a five minute job, although it is nice to review and re-live one of my fantastic trips that I have enjoyed.

Meanwhile I did watch a Common Buzzard fly by, as I re-filled the bird feeders and the Greenfinches appreciated the sunflower hearts that I provided.

After a lovely day out with a friend yesterday, I was on the rota for an early shift down at Snettisham for a Wader Spectacular event helping out with an influx of visitors to the RSPB car park. Ryan, Nic and I met in the dark and sorted out the cars and provided information to help first-time visitors to the spectacle. Luckily it wasn’t too busy and after most cars were parked, I drove up to the Cross Bank, where I found many visitors had sat on the revetment. I quickly explained that they would be better walking a little further on to see the waders swirling around as the tide came in.

After the tide had passed me, I met the visitors by Rotary Hide and walked up to the Wader Watchpoint and answered visitors’ questions. By now the waders were amassing on the small amount of mud left and were occasionally putting on a display when a Peregrine spooked them. Unfortunately even though it was a 7.2metre tide the waders did not go over to the pits today, but we did see some wonderful displays. It was lovely to meet up with Gary that I had been to Antarctica with, as we swapped our news of family and travels.

It was a beautiful morning as dawn broke and I found myself down in the RSPB car park at Snettisham with Nic and Jim ready to welcome visitors to another Wader Spectacular. The three of us soon had things organised and when all the cars were parked I drove up to the Cross Bank where the tide was coming in rapidly moving the wader flocks off the mud. Sanderling were flying by me in small flocks and the increase in Ringed Plover numbers were notable. Our local breeding birds had been swelled by the Arctic breeding birds to a count of 3000 yesterday. I cold see many of the 26900 Knot out in Wash swirling around as the Oystercatchers were running on the mud ahead of the tide.

After taking a few photographs I joined Les by Rotary Hide and we walked up to the Wader Watchpoint and answered visitors’ questions. We watched the tide come in and the birds squeezing up together on the only patch of mud left. A Marsh Harrier put most of the birds up into the air as it hunted over the marsh and later a Great Black-backed Gull did the same. The waders made a marvellous sight as they swirled around.

Later in Shore Hide several of us enjoyed the spectacle of the waders leaving the pits and flying back out into The Wash. A pair of Common Terns were busy bringing in small fish for their chick whilst the 49 Spoonbills roosted out in the water. Most of the earlier Little Egrets had now dispersed as I watched a Common Sandpiper fly to another island.

After a bit of shopping I returned back home for lunch. Although I had to pick many Runner Beans from my garden, for my dinner, with the rest going into the deep freeze, I decided to have a lazy afternoon with my book sitting in the sun on my hammock. Bliss! My phone rang and during the call I looked up as I could hear hirundines flying overhead. Most of them were House Martins with a few Swallows twittering as they flew. All of a sudden a Hobby appeared, which I haven’t seen over my garden for a while. I grabbed my camera but I was too late and I didn’t see it again.

Some sad news:

Many of the older birders amongst you will be sad to know that Tony Prater passed away yesterday. During his working career he became the East Anglian regional officer for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. (RSPB). A dedicated birder he set out to see all the waders in the world, very nearly completing his dream. He also co-wrote the Helm guide ‘Shorebirds’, an identification guide to the waders of the world with Peter Hayman and John Marchant. He could often be seen birding around Norfolk with his little Westie and always had time to stop and chat when I was working at Titchwell telling me about his latest sightings and his wader adventures. He was a true gentleman and will be missed by us all. R.I.P. Tony.

With the contractors arriving early this morning I needed to be at home all day, so I spent my time gardening. During the day I noticed a few Swallows overhead but there was no Hobby today. By mid afternoon my contractors could do no more until they could get hold of a machine and so left me in peace. I needed a rest and decided to go indoors where I watched a new film that has been released in the last few days about twitching. It is about an American big year and will probably only appeal to those of you that have enjoyed the thrills and spills of twitching over the years. It is however very American!

It can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl-wAqplQAo

You may need to skip the advert by pressing the ‘skip’ button, if it appears!

John and I arrived a couple of minutes late and missed the Dotterel at Ringstead despite our best efforts along with several other birders looking for it near Ringstead. We watched 150 Golden Plovers take to the air after watching around 50 Golden Plovers on the ground in the same field which joined other Golden Plovers in the air from another field. We all searched through them as the flew over our heads several times but failed to locate the Dotterel. We did locate a Wheatear and a Kestrel as well as watching two Red Kites.

After some lunch we motored down to Titchwell and watched three Little Stints amongst the Dunlin and Ruff before a Sparrowhawk flew through.

My evening was spent at the NarVOS club meeting in Swaffham where Gordon Hamlett was giving a talk, entitled Molotovs and Merlins. It focused on a book he had written about where to go birdwatching in Scotland, not only about the sites but of the problems that beset him, after he and his wife Chris researched the many sites by visiting them, bringing back many happy memories of the times that I visited them years ago, to bring the book to publication. The talk had its funny moments which kept us all entertained.

Many of us trooped to the pub afterwards, including Gordon and Chris and it was good to reminisce and talk about issues withing the birding world at the moment. However we did battle with this obsession of having a TV blaring with some unimportant football match on in the pub. Why TVs are allowed in pubs is totally beyond me, when most of us just want to sit and talk to each other.

After a very frustrating morning for both myself and my contractor when we couldn’t get rid of old tree roots, I threw in the towel and went birding!

I managed to dip the Dotterel at Ringstead yesterday, so I thought I would give it another try as it was another lovely day. When I arrived Darrel Bryant had just seen it from the top of the hill. It was lovely to see Darrel as we had shared a holiday together in 2016 when I joined a trip to Latvia. It was good to see him. Pat arrived and together we walked to the top of the hill where another birder kindly let us look through his scope at the Dotterel. After a couple of minutes Pat and I walked back down the track so that we would be much closer, where we joined others who were also looking at it.  The Dotterel ran around for a while but kept disappearing behind or down into holes made by the clods of earth. Although there was a flock of Golden Plover in the same field it didn’t seem to associating with any of them. It was fairly distant in the field making photography difficult as I was often facing straight into the sun. Eventually most of the flock of Golden Plover took off, flushed by a Peregrine and flew towards Titchwell where they landed according to staff onsite. Two Red Kites flew over calling as I walked back to the car. 

John and I spent the morning in Norwich sorting out flights for another birding trip next year. Our afternoon was spent sorting out some admin allied to our various trips that we hope to do in the next two years along, with some reading connected with the rest of our trips planned for this year. What is often not realised is the mental gymnastics that we both go through trying to sort outs dates that will fit in with other planned trips and trying to be in the right place that is suitable for the birds that we want to see, as well as fitting in with my family life. (Yes I realise that I won’t gain a lot of sympathy here!) However it all takes a lot of planning and emails back and forth!

A very Happy Birthday to my son-in-law Chris, who is 40 today!

This morning, John and I drove to Walberswick where we had a fight with a car park app. After parking up there was no car park machine or attendant, just an option of downloading a car park app or ringing a telephone number and using a credit card. After ringing the number several times and giving our details, the automated voice would not accept the car registration or vehicle make or colour of the car, despite me receiving several texts making me start all over again several times. After abandoning this method I tried to download the app which would not download as I didn’t have enough signal. By using John’s phone and my credit card, after many false starts and 20 minutes later, I managed to pay for the car park! Grrrr….

It was just as well the walk along the shingle ridge  to where we could see all the birders standing was a long one, as it gave me enough time to calm down a little ! We sat down and saw several flight views of the family of Zitting Cisticolas. However my views of them was nowhere near as good as the ones I had seen in Botswana a few weeks ago! They flew along the ridge just in front of the river banks before landing in the reeds. It was hard to guess how many of them I saw as it could have been the same birds going back and forth.

We walked back to the car park where we met Andy Clifton fighting with the car park app, who had given up with it. Luckily having managed to jump all the hurdles earlier on I knew where the pitfalls were and was able to help him so that he could eventually get the car park paid and parked. Whoever invented these things needs dealing with! It was good to see Andy, as many years ago we had been on a White’s Thrush twitch together on the Outer Hebrides as well as meeting up in Israel.

Whilst in Walberswick we enjoyed a pub lunch and had a quick tour of the shops before enjoying an ice-cream. It had an air of the last of the summer sun about it!

We continued our day by driving to Covehithe and walked the coastal path to the broad. Three Common Snipe flew over our heads as we approached the broad, before we located the Red-necked Phalarope that was standing in what was left of the water. Most of the broad was dry with only a small amount of water left. We stopped to admire it for a while and took a few photographs before returning to the car and enjoying a cup of tea back at Patrick’s and Claire’s.