Parrot Crossbills in Norfolk

Tuesday 26th November 2013
Took another opportunity to see Parrot Crossbills. This time at Holt Country Park in Norfolk. The birds had been showing well from the car park for several days and the temptation proved too great. I missed them in the car park by hour an hour. Sound familiar? A number of birders turned up but the birds didnt. We waited for a couple of hours until somebody drove in to say the flock had been seen a mile or so away. The car park emptied and cars drove in convoy to reassemble in a field a mile away. There was a good view of the various stands of conifers spread out over both sides of the road but many were quite distant. I spotted a small flock of Crossbills flying towards the roadside pines but they were soon lost to view. After checking the pines on one side of the road I walked back to the other side and found four or five Crossbills in the furthest pine in the roadside trees nearest to us. After calling the other birders over,with telescopes we were able to confirm that they were indeed Parrot Crossbill and that there were probably 10 birds feeding in the pines. 

Parrot Crossbill, Holt Country Park, Norfolk - very distant image giving some idea of the size, shape of the bill

Common Crossbill - Cannock Chase, comparison of bill size

Two barred Crossbill, South Yorkshire

Fieldfare

Friday 22nd November 2013
Not been doing great deal of birding recently, apart from the odd trip to South Wales, so its good when birds come to you. As did a pair of Fieldfare this morning they stayed just long enough for a few bits of Apple before moving on.

Fieldfare in garden

Fieldfare

Fieldfare

Fieldfare

Orphean warbler at Dale, Pembrokeshire

Saturday 16th November 2013
Enjoyed a day in South Wales in the company of Julian Allen on Saturday. Our aim was to try and see an Orphean warbler which had taken up residence in the garden near Dale in Pembrokeshire. Having missed the previous record in Hartlepool it was great to have another chance so soon. In pessimistic mood I had envisaged a long wait to see the bird with a chaotic queue a mile long. I couldnt have been more wrong. The whole event was organised with almost military precision by the local birders. The bird played its part too giving reasonable views as we waited the queue. The warbler showed much better though from the garden feeding in the Apple trees. I wished I'd taken my camera but the priority was to see the bird.
In due course we moved on to look for Lapland Bunting on a disused airfield just up the road. No luck despite a good search but it was good to stretch our legs after the long drive. We had more luck with the local Choughs, getting great views on the cliffs at Martin's Haven.

Mouth watering view of Skokholm Island

Orphean warbler, viewed in the garden by kind permission of the owners.

Starlings at Middleton Lakes RSPB

Tuesday 12th November 2013
Part 1
Enjoyed a good walk around the fields North of Burton Hastings. Birds seen : Starlings 200, Fieldfare 150, Redwing 30, Rooks 20, Skylarks 12, Meadow pipit 4, Bullfinch 6, Chaffinch 12, Common Buzzard 1, Green Woodpecker1, Moorhen 6
Part 2
Middleton lakes: 3,000+ Starlings, Stonechat 1, Little Egret 3

Stonechat, Middleton Lakes RSPB

Starlings at sunset

Starlings, Middleton lakes

Starlings

Starlings

Starlings

Starlings

Starlings

Starlings

Patchwatch

Monday 4th November 2013
Managed to fit in a quick visit to the patch this morning. The valley and crop fields were strangely quiet, no Skylarks, M'pits, Finches or Buntings. There was a Common Gull with the Black headed gulls and the usual mix of Corvids. It was on the way back a fine male Stonechat was seen on the rough ground close to the river. There were also 4 Meadow pipits to the east of the river. Still not many Thrushes about though, only 1 group of 12 or so Fieldfare and a single Redwing.

The Dusky warbler at Marsh Lane N.R.

Saturday 2nd November 2013
The creme de la creme of West Midlands Birding turned up at Marsh Lane nature reserve to see a Dusky warbler, a rare vagrant from the east, and a superb find by Glenn Giles. The bird was generally elusive staying low in the vegetation. At times, however, the bird would show in the pollarded Willows, during what was a murky morning.

The Dusky warbler 'twitch', Marsh Lane N.R.

Hermit Thrush, Porthwarra, Cornwall 2013

Thursday 31st October 2013
As Dave Abbot and I drove through the night to get to Porthwarra for first light, the star filled skies and light winds did not bode well for our chances of seeing the Hermit Thrush found at the foot of the valley the previous day. There were a lot of birders already there and we parked at the top of the hill as the car park appeared to be full. The bird had been seen in bushes and trees near the toilet block. As the light improved and it was possible to look into the strip of vegetation on either side of the stream the search began. Blackbirds, Chiffchaffs, Goldcrests and Robins were scrutinised but no sign of the Hermit Thrush. For 2 hours there was no sign of the bird. The weather and the light continued to improve and then movement. Not the bird but birders. Looking through the trees to the birders on the road beyond they were clearly focussing on something. It was time for me to move and join the throng, the bird was still present.
After a couple of false alarms the bird was finally seen. It had been flying up to pick Elderberries and was now sitting up in the bush preening, partially obscured at first but then in full view. Outstanding. There was no great panic after the initial positioning and re-positioning and birders were generally very helpful to one another, which was good to see. After being invisible for so long the bird gave further prolonged views much appreciated by everyone.