Dead Ends & Distractions

 Nov 14th Strumpshaw Fen

On November 7th, it was just another Monday at first. I woke up early, caught my early bus into the city and boarded the train to Brundall and was making my way to Strumpshaw. But I never got there. I got as far as the railway bridge at Brundall only to discover that the road underneath it was flooded. I could not go any further. All I could do was watch a man wade through the water up to his upper thighs with his electric scooter held above his head. Yeah, there was no way I wanted to do the same thing, so I walked back to Brundall station and ended up catching the same train that brought me here back into Norwich.

A week later and the flood had gone and I was able to get to Strumpshaw just fine. So to make up for lost time, I decided to stay on until dusk . It was a very misty start that I couldn't see much out of Reception and Fen hides, but at Tower Hide, there were many wildfowl here than any other part of the reserve. Mallards, gadwall, shovelers, teal, a couple of shelducks, a few wigeon and many greylags all just barley visible in the mist. On the way back, there were many tits, finches and thrushes feeding on fallen fruit, including several fieldfares and redwings.

At Reception Hide, it was another fairly quiet shift with hardly much to see. Though there was a brief bittern and a kingfisher as well as marsh harriers, buzzards, a heron, a great white egret and 3 swans, but other than that it was just a lot of staring at a near empty broad.

After my shift, I went for a walk around the woods before entering Fen Hide to wait for the sun to set. As I waited with some visitors with their cameras snapping like machine guns at everything that moved, we watched the marsh harriers, stonechats, fieldfares, a little egret and a Chinese water deer.

Little Egret, Sun Set,
Starling Murmuration
& Common Darter (Nov 14th)

The sun was setting by 3:30pm and starlings were starting to arrive in small flocks. Minute by minute, more flocks of starlings were turning up. Small balls of these birds were merging into a larger group of at least a couple thousand strong and was growing. A mini murmuration swirled across the sky that was partly glowing and partly dimming as the sun slowly sank behind a tree. Eventually, the main bulk of starlings poured into the reeds somewhere near towards the Tower Hide by the riverside to my left. Smaller flocks continued to appear after they went down, but I estimated that the main total was still roughly around 4-6 thousand starlings. 

Before leaving, a kingfisher made an appearance in the near darkness and, at Reception Hide, Dorbenton's bats were skimming over the broad and the wildfowl had arrived for the night.

Nov 19th Whitlingham Broad

Mum and I went for a walk around Whitlingham Broad this morning. There had been a few interesting birds here recently. This included a Slavonian grebe, which sadly wasn't any where to be seen during our outing. However, there were a selection of ducks that were new to my list.

First, there were two goosanders near the boat house before flying off. Then, at the other end of the broad, 2 scaup and a common scoter, the latter being a fairly unusual find as it is normally found on the sea. Also around were many tufted ducks and coots, Egyptian geese, great crested grebes and a buzzard. I also encountered the goosanders again flying by me along the river.

Goosanders
Common Scoter & Scaup (Nov 19th),
Turnstone & Purple Sandpiper (Nov 26th)

Nov 21st Strumpshaw Fen

A bit of a strange day as it seemed empty and quiet, but in the end had some good highlights. There was nothing at Fen Hide (except one marsh harrier) and it was empty at Tower Hide, but between hides, along the muddy path by the river were many fieldfares, redwings and other common woodland tit and finch species, including bullfinches which I only heard calling. I also saw a sparrowhawk on the walk back.

An otter was around on and off at Reception all morning and was close to the hide as far as the measuring post at one point. I also had a large flock of bearded tits in the reeds at the front of the hide, 2-4 marsh harriers, a buzzard, a water rail, but I missed the 3 bitterns fly over, with one landing close by.

It was an ok morning, but my mind was distracted as the World Cup had started and England were about to play Iran while I was waiting for the train home. By the time I got home, they were already 3-0 up. It finished 6-2!

Nov 26th Sheringham

I managed to stray myself away from the football to spend a morning out at Sheringham to sea watch. Could I find anything new over the waves? Well, the sea was actually calm and flat. It wasn't looking like there was going to be anything about.

However, there were some bits and bobs. Mostly red-throated divers, but there were also a flock of 10-20 scoter (where they belong), cormorants, a gannet or two, the usual gull species and a seal. But there was one highlight floating on the sea in the distance that had me puzzling over. It was definitely a diver, but seemed bigger than a red-throated diver and was very dark. The head appeared to be mostly black, the bill seemed to be thicker and every now and then it would lift to flap relatively large wings to reveal a bright white underside. I was more than convinced that this was a great northern diver! Not just new to my list, but new to me as well! Unfortunately, it was too far to photograph.

Mum eventually met up with me after she went into town to kill some time and we had a short stroll along the front hoping to find a purple sandpiper. There were plenty of turnstones and gulls, but it took some searching on the rocks until we finally found one. Unlike the great northern diver, it was more than obliging to pose for a few photos. With this beautiful bird, it takes my 2022 British species total to 176 and 217 overall.

A day later, I heard news of a flock of waxwings was discovered in Sheringham. I was a day early and so I didn't get to see them. What a shame. Just my luck.

Nov 28th Strumpshaw Fen

A very murky, dull day with a lot of mist. I visited Fen Hide, seeing a bittern, 5 marsh harriers, a Chinese water deer and a water rail. Then, as I couldn't make my way to Tower Hide as the path was closed, I made my way along the river to the pumphouse (which was equally muddy in my opinion) and into the woods instead. During the walk, I encountered fieldfares, 2 muntjac deer and at least a hundred siskins spooked out of the trees by a passing train.

It continued to be murky for the rest of the day. The Reception Hide provided distant views of an otter on the far side of the broad in the thick mist and a glimpse of a wing of a bittern as I caught the bird plunging into the reedy islands just a little bit late. Other than that, there reserve seemed very empty and very quiet. 

Strumpshaw has been like that for some time just lately. For a good majority of my visits, there's not even a single duck on the broad. Usually, the broad is full of them by now. It is kind of concerning and a trend that was the same as last year. It feels as if the magic of this place isn't here as much anymore, at least not during the winter and during my shifts especially. It has been a rather forgettable November despite the bitterns, otters and the other things I've seen here throughout this month. At least the World Cup has been exciting.

The Boost

 Oct 2nd Cley

I went to Cley to try and boost my list up again. I started with a spot of sea watching and managed to add only one bird; an eider. Four eiders in fact. But it was mostly red-throated divers (with one close to the shore), 4 brent geese and a wigeon following behind them, great black-backed gulls, 2 dunlin and a seal.

From the main hides, it was largely just lapwing, wigeon, 2 ruffs and 2-3 marsh harriers and heard some pinging bearded tits. Nothing out of the unusual. After that, Dad and I popped over to Walsey Hills to look for a yellow-browed warbler, but found nothing other than goldfinches, greenfinches, etc.

Oct 3rd Strumpshaw Fen

It was a nice clear day and a good one for bearded tits and bitterns. The bearded tits were extremely lively from Fen and Reception hides as they formed large flocks of 10-30 and were constantly flying from reedbed to reedbed in a cacophony of pinging.

From Fen Hide, I saw a bittern flying in the distance heading towards the Reception and when I got there, I found it at the edge of the reedy islands. It then climbed to the top of the reeds, poking its head out with bearded tits surrounding it. A second bittern also appeared and landed in the reedbed behind the first. Eventually, both left their hiding spots, though the first returned sometime later.

Also seen this morning, which started very misty, was a skein of pink-footed geese, a fleeting glimpse of a kingfisher, 6 meadow pipits, a flying snipe, herons, marsh harriers, swans, cormorants, a kestrel, a sparrowhawk and a Chinese water deer.

Bittern, Sparrowhawk 
 & Spider Web (Oct 3rd), Great White Egret &
Marsh Tit (Oct 10th) & Migrant Hawker (Oct 15th)

Oct 10th Strumpshaw Fen

A horrible start of the day as it rained heavily. I walked in the woods looking for fungi, but I just got really wet. I did find a fly agaric, but not much else. Absolutely soaked, I made my way to Fen Hide to shelter. Once I got there though, the rain stopped!

It was a fairly quiet day wildlife wise, though the highlights was a great white egret hanging by the reedy islands by Reception Hide, a sparrowhawk mobbed by crows, a kestrel being mobbed by meadow pipits, redwings with fieldfares, marsh harriers, bearded tits and a pair of tufted ducks.

Oct 15th Titchwell

Mum and I spent the morning at Titchwell. It was a nice yet windy day out and on the way there, we had several red kites and 2 kestrels flying by the roadside.

At the pools, large flocks of golden plovers and godwits huddled together in separate groups with the plovers forming golden carpets on the strips of land and the godwits sleeping together close to the main path. There were also small numbers of avocets, dunlin and brent geese.

On the saltmarshes left of the main path, we could see curlews, redshanks, little egrets, a Chinese water deer, starlings, lapwings, a snipe and a couple of bearded tits.

The main highlight of the day, however, was a flock of 10-15 snow buntings on the beach. They were foraging on the dunes and by the strandline. Amongst them were a pair of turnstones, but out at sea, nothing much at all.

Black-tailed Godwits, Golden Plovers
& Snow Buntings (Oct 15th),
Death Cap (Oct 17th), Black Bulgar & Treecreeper (Oct 24th)

After lunch, we had a quick walk to Patsy's reedbed, seeing 5 or so tufted ducks, a pochard, a little grebe, gadwall, a marsh harrier and a pair of kestrels. On the way home, we passed by a few more red kites and another kestrel.

Oct 17th Strumpshaw Fen

Another wet start to a Monday morning and I got a lift in. By the time I got to Strumpshaw, however, the rain stopped and was just dull and grey. I had a quick look around the woods for fungi, finding a deathcap and not much else. The broad was rather empty other than 3 swans, a cormorant and an otter that I saw making a lap around the broad as soon as I opened a window to the Reception Hide. Other than that, it was kind of uneventful by the time the otter left.

Oct 24th Strumpshaw Fen

Yet another rainy start. Thankfully, after getting an early lift in, it had stopped and was sunny though a bit windy. Despite the improvement in the weather, it was a bit quiet with very little to see, only a couple of marsh harriers, a cormorant, 3 swans, a distant kestrel, a treecreeper in the woods and heard a kingfisher and that was about as exciting as it got.

The real enjoyment of the day was admiring all the fungi in the woods. There were many and I don't know what they all are, but I still enjoyed discovering all the shapes and colours. It really felt like I was walking in a kingdom of fungi today as they were everywhere. One of the highlights was being shown a stump full of strange black buttons on a stump, which I believe were black bulgar. I don't think I've ever seen it here before.

Oct 30th Salthouse & Cley

The weather was awful to begin with, but I really wanted to find a rare bird and there just happened to be one at Cley. A long-billed dowitcher had been seen switching between Cley and Salthouse for the past week and a half and I really wanted to see this rare American wader. 

First, we stopped at Salthouse in the pouring rain. No sign, but I did get to add razorbill to my list, two in fact with about 3 red-throated divers out at sea close to the shore. 

Next, I was dropped off at Iron Road car park. This was where it was seen the previous day. I met a group of birders and they told me it was just seen further up the road towards Cley at the Babcock Hide. I followed them there, but only to find dunlin, one black-tailed godwit and meadow pipits. The dowitcher was gone. But at least the rain had stopped.

News was spreading of a desert wheatear had just appeared on the beach at Cley. So I gave up on the dowitcher and began the long walk to East Bank. I had a quick detour on the way to the pool next to Walsey Hill where a birding group was looking at a jack snipe bouncing in the middle of it. My 170th British bird!

Red-throated Diver, Razorbill,
Jack Snipe
& Long-billed Dowitcher

Back along East Bank, Dad joined me for the walk to where the huge group of twitchers were. I also missed out by a fraction of a pallid harrier swooping over the reserve! Another rare bird missed!!

Eventually, we arrived at the crowd and annoyingly the wheatear had disappeared into hiding. It was nowhere to be seen. Frustrated, I joined Dad who was sitting behind the crowd for lunch. While munching on a sandwich, a familiar face came up to me. Rachel, an ex-Strumpshaw staff, recognised me on the beach and was asking me if I had seen the wheatear and pallid harrier and apparently, while I was eating, they were seen again apparently. I scanned and scanned, but nothing. I was starting to feel like I was cursed. 

However, I wasn't going to give up on seeing the dowitcher and I decided to give it one more try. Dad went back to the car while I made my way to Babcock Hide. On the way, I met a man who had just seen the bird and it was at a pool along Iron Road where I was dropped off at from the get go! So, I skipped Babcock Hide and made the long return walk to Iron Road car park. Another group of birders marked the spot, overlooking the pool. After scanning the dunlin, godwits, snipe, teal and wigeon, I finally found the bird I wanted to see! It looked like a dark snipe with no markings. It was a bit distant though on the far side of the pool, but I didn't care. My curse felt like it was lifted for at least until the next rare bird shows up. This takes my British list to 171 and 214 for my overall list now.

Oct 31st Strumpshaw Fen

Halloween at Strumpshaw had a few treats in store. At Fen Hide, there were marsh harriers, a flock of fieldfares and redwings in a couple of trees and a couple of stonechats. Further along the Sandy Wall, I got close to 4-5 bearded tits. At Reception Hide, a kingfisher circling the broad three times.

Pheasants fighting, Bearded Tit,
Upright Coral & Green Elfcap

At the end of the shift, though, I was shown a couple of beautiful fungi in the woods. First, some upright coral between the pond-dipping pond and the Gnarly Oak. I've been looking for it in the Dell area, where I've seen it several years ago now, but I've clearly been walking past it many times without noticing it this whole time. Then, I was shown something really colourful on a log in the Dell area itself. This log had specks of bright turquoise. These were green elfcaps. Absolutely beautiful.