Pebble Cottage, our holiday location for the week.
We have now started our week's holiday in North Norfolk, staying at the small, but cosy Pebble Cottage on the outskirts of Holt, in North Norfolk. The drive up was fraught with a lot of stoppages on the motorways and took an hour longer than expected, but we arrived safely late last night. On our way up, I saw a large ‘covey’ of Grey Partridge in a field adjacent to the roadside on the outskirts of Holt and also a small flock of around 20 Pink-footed Geese (my first of the year) in a field near the village of Fakenham. At least 20+ Red Kites and around 10 Common Buzzardswere also seen on the way up and also a single Kestrel.
Holt, North Norfolk:
Some nice areas to search for birds in Grove Lane, near our Cottage.
After a lovely long sleep, I was up around 7.30am this morning and though the weather was a bit grim (drizzly rain, overcast and a strong north-westerly wind), I took the dogs for a good walk down Grove Lane; the road in which our Cottage is located. I couldn't help noticing how large most of the houses were along this road and the huge gardens they had. Could a ‘rare’ bird be hiding in one of these gardens, perhaps. Not this morning, but I did pick out a few Redwing flying out of one of the big copses along the road. I found a clump of Toadstools on the grass by the footpath and I deduced (though by no means 100% correct) that they were probably Brown Rim-roll Toadstools (according to Google Lens).
Quite possibly a Brown Roll-rim Toadstool.
Salthouse & offshore, North Norfolk:
The sea was very rough here at Salthouse this morning.
As it was only 9 miles away, I decided that my first destination for a spot of birding was going to be Salthouse and to check the sea for anything of note passing through on that strong north-westerly wind. A quick look on Birdguides had revealed that a Little Auk had passed through off Cley Coastguards and so the signs looked good for seabirds. Because of Storm Benjamin, which had moved north towards Scandinavia, the sea was very rough and with the wind whipping up the sea, it was most certainly spectacular with 20 foot waves crashing onto the shingle and I could not resist in taking quite a few photos. The only problem I was having was the sea spray which fogged up my binoculars and camera more often than I liked. Sadly, there is nowhere shelter to get out of the wind and so I had to use my binoculars to find anything of note going past. The good news was that there were some interesting birds passing through.
Above and below, the four Barnacle Geese flying over the sea from Salthouse.
Above, some seriously rough waves coming in onto the beach and below, a Great Black-backed Gull effortlessly flying through the strong wind along the beach.
Pick of the bunch was a flock of four Barnacle Geese flying west over the sea. A single Brent Goosewas seen earlier and so to see these Barnacle Geese going through, I am quietly confident that they were most likely wild birds instead of feral birds. I wonder where they will end up? A large flock of Common Scoters flew west and then all landed on the very choppy sea together, but after around 30 minutes or so, they all eventually took off and headed off west low over the sea. Up to two single Great Crested Grebes headed low over the sea westbound and a single Guillemot was seen heading the opposite direction.
Above, both male and female Common Scoters passing over the sea and below, good numbers of Gulls also went through including these Black-headed Gulls.
Above, a juvenile Herring Gull and below, a lone Brent Goose heading west.
The sea was still rough and standing there with the strong wind buffeting me was challenging at times, but there was always the chance of something rare to pass by. A lot of gulls were going through: Great Black-backed, Herring, Black-headed and Common Gulls; but nothing more rarer than that and a shame that yesterday’s juvenile Glaucous Gull here at this site didn’t linger. Further west along the coast, a Sabine’s Gull had been seen passing Holme as did a Pomarine Skua. Good numbers of Cormorants were seen passing over the sea, but after a while, I decided to check out some of the nearby freshmarsh and the pools.
Another photo of the big waves coming in and below, Wigeon with a single Shoveler (far right) on the nearest pool.
Above and below, there was a good number of Wigeon present on the pools.
Above, the saltmarsh looking west from Saltmarsh.
The Pools could hold a Grey Phalarope (there was one on Cley Marshes today) and so I gave it a good look. No Phalaropes, but there was a good number of Wigeon on the pools and among them, there were at least a dozen distant Teal present and a pair of Shoveler. A few Meadow Pipits and a probably Reed Bunting were seen and I was absolutely sure I heard a Snow Bunting calling, but I could not locate the bird in the strong wind blowing over the site. Many years ago, when Geoff Farwell, Andy Fisher and myself used to drive up here for a days birding, this site was very good for Snow Buntings and people even used to put out seed for the birds and therefore giving all the ‘toggers’ superb opportunities to see these delightful birds. Hopefully I might get lucky later this week.
The raging sea crashing on the shore at Salthouse.
Meanwhile, back in Hampshire, birding pals Geoff Farwell and Andy Fisher went up to Woolmer Pond to see if last week's Great Grey Shrike was still present. Despite the red flags being up (The Army were using the Firing Ranges so no access to certain areas), plus with Geoff's excellent hearing, they saw a minimum of 20 Redpolls, a Brambling that Geoff heard first and then picked up when it flew over, Woodlark, 2 Stonechats, and a couple of Red Kites. Afterwards, they took the trip south to Titchfield Canal to see the Yellow-browed Warbler. Unfortunately, the bird never showed for them though it was quite vocal at times. However, one can ‘tick off’ ‘heard only’ and so was added to Andy’s Hampshire list for this year. Well done guys.
Above and below, the male Hen-harrier at Stodmarsh, Kent. Photo by Emma Parkes.
Above, a male Common Crossbill at Margate Cemetery and below, a Snow Bunting at Minnis Bay beach. Photos by Emma Parkes.
Matt and Emma Parkes toured the County of Kent today and saw an impressive number of species that included a Snow Bunting on the beach at Minnis Bay, but ‘dipped’ at Margate Cemetery for the Red-flanked Bluetail and Yellow-browed Warbler in Margate Cemetery. However, they did see a nice flock of Crossbills there. They paid a visit to Stodmarsh where a male Hen-harrier graced the reserve and a look off Foreness Point produced a dark-phased Arctic Skua.
One of just two moths present this morning; a Double-striped Pug.
It must have been very cold overnight as a clear blue sky first thing spelt disaster for my Moth Box. I only found two moths; a Double-striped Pug and a Rusty-dot Pearl and both were outside the Moth Box with nothing whatsoever in the Box itself. Meanwhile, it was back to Pembroke Road again this morning for my first shift and my God, it was so cold. I really thought Winter had arrived and I even sported my woolly hat this morning hoping to keep the cold out.
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
Though bright and sunny at 8am this morning in Pembroke Road, it was damn cold in that wind.
A much better count of 18 species was obtained this morning during my hour there and kicked off more or less straight away with a Grey Wagtail flying low over the road and flew first east and then returned to the garden of the house opposite to where I stood. The usual Pied Wagtails were on the Bowling Green and Governor’s Green held several Herring Gulls and at least 50+ Wood Pigeons.
Herring Gulls and Wood Pigeons on Governor's Green.
I think during the first 15 minutes or so having arrived at Pembroke Road, the road is fairly quiet for traffic and therefore I can pick up a lot of bird calls nearby and those birds that are flying over and this week, there has been a lot of migrating birds. After that, the traffic gets heavier and I get a lot busier and therefore sightings are sporadic, but I always keep an eye out for the unexpected. This morning, overhead, two flocks of Siskins flew over; a flock of 3 three birds and then a much larger group of 12 birds of which all headed westbound. More finches were seen that included a Chaffinch flying high west and a small group of three Goldfinches flew over and headed off south. I could not emphasise how cold it was this morning and with that biting wind, I was glad to get back into my car! As they say in Game of Thrones, ‘Winter is coming!’
In Hampshire today:
Two Yellow-browed Warblers were on show in Hampshire today with the long staying bird at Fishlake Meadows and another discovered this morning at the southern end of the Canal Walk, Titchfield Haven. The White-tailed Eagle was again seen at Fishlake Meadows and a late Osprey was over Blashford Lakes today, seen carrying a fish.
It was that dark first thing this morning in Pembroke Road, that one of the lights by the Bowling Green was still on.
So called Storm Benjamin never really arrived over the south coast and it looked as though France took the main brunt of it. OK, we did have a few heavy showers overnight, but the morning started off grey, but it did turn out rather bright during the morning, which was really a blessing as my wife and I said a final goodbye to one of our best friends, Chris Warren, who we attended his funeral today at The Oaks Crematorium. Over 200 people attended the funeral, which showed how well this great man was loved by all that met him, especially myself.
Before the 1pm funeral, I still had my first shift at Pembroke Road this morning and although it was a bit windy and overcast at first, there were a few bird sightings to keep me entertained.
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
I counted up to 12 bird species here this morning at Pembroke Road and though I was wrapped up against the north-westerly wind, I was damn cold by the end of my shift. Overhead, a pair of Song Thrushes flew out of the Holm Oaks and headed off high west and a Grey Wagtail flew high west, calling in doing so. The Bowling Green had large puddles on it again due to the overnight rain, but it still held a pair of Pied Wagtails. Governor’s Green held a large number of both Herring Gulls and Wood Pigeons, but most took off due to something that spooked them; Peregrine or Sparrowhawk perhaps? Whatever it was, I never saw it.
In Hampshire today:
There were a few surprises in Hampshire today, but not a great deal on the Hants Birding Website. Fellow birder, Andy Tew saw the White-tailed Eagle again at Fishlake Meadows and took a few nice photos. A female Black Redstart was seen at Hinton Ampner, near Cheriton and up to 8 Common Sandpipers were at Lower Test Marshes today.
This White-tailed Eagle, flanked by a Magpie, just goes to show how huge these birds are. This individual showed well at Fishlake Meadows today. Photo by Andy Tew.
Above, this photo and story was in this month's Birdwatch Magazine. It was the big 'twitch' to see the UK's first ever Long-billed Murrelet in Dawlish, Devon. I was there at the time, during my 'twitching days' in November 2006 and though I am not in the photo, I was behind the photographer on a jetty going out into the harbour. The bird was typically fishing Auk style out offshore and I remember grabbing some photos of the bird when it popped up close to where I stood. Below, this is one of the many photos I took of the Murrelet.
Dawn over Highland Road Cemetery this morning while I was walking my dogs.
It was another lovely morning with a spectacular sunrise again and next to no wind at all. There was no rain predicted for this morning and with it being so still, there was a lot of visible migration going on overhead; especially over Pembroke Road this morning which produced another high count of bird species. I checked the Moth Box briefly before I headed off to my first shift and the most notable moth was my first Red-green Carpet of the year for my garden (Had one recently in Andy's garden at Cowplain Marsh). When I got home from my first shift, I then resumed checking the Moth Box and thankfully, there were a few moths within there and again, plenty of birds going over still.
My Moth Box:
My first Red-green Carpet in my garden this year.
The Red-green Carpet was actually on the white sheet last night before I went to bed along with the Garden Carpet and thankfully, both were still present this morning. After a near no-show of macro moths yesterday, there were five this morning, including a Feathered Ranunculus. Light Brown Apple Moths dominated in numbers with at least 11 present this morning, but there could have been many more dotted around the garden.
Above, a Feathered Ranunculus and below, a worn Large Yellow Underwing.
The Moths recorded this morning from my Moth Box included the following:
MACRO MOTHS
MICRO MOTHS
Red-green Carpet x1
Rusty-dot Pearl x5
Large Yellow Underwing x1
Light Brown Apple Moth x11
Feathered Ranunculus x1
Garden Carpet x1
Double-striped Pug x1
While quickly checking the outside of the Moth Box within the garden, overhead, I could hear a Meadow Pipit, Redpoll, Siskin and a Chaffinch flying over, but apart from the Meadow Pipit, I only heard the rest. But I was to have better luck at Pembroke Road.
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
The early morning sunrise shone brilliantly on the Royal Garrison Church this morning.
A lovely sunrise over Southsea this morning and with no wind, there were plenty of birds flying overhead and that included good numbers of Common Crossbills. A flock of 6 birds were first heard and then seen literally as I got out of the car within Pembroke Road. A little later, a pair of birds also headed west in the same direction of the first birds and I was pretty sure that another flock of 5 birds also flew west; however, I did not hear the birds call due to the damn traffic, but judging by the way they were flying and the height they were travelling it, they probably were.
Redpoll and Siskin flew over and a Chiffchaff briefly flew from the Holm Oaks to the Sycamore Trees to the west. A flock of 20+ Goldfinch flew over with a large number of Wood Pigeons as one of the British Warships sailed out of Portsmouth Harbour and blasting out its horn! Twenty bird species is nothing to be scoffed at in just under an hour here on my first shift at Pembroke Road.
The birds heard or seen this morning here included the following:
Herring Gull
Black-headed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Wood Pigeon
Feral Pigeon
Carrion Crow
Magpie
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Chiffchaff (1)
Goldcrest (1)
Common Crossbill (8, but possibly another 5)
Goldfinch (20)
Siskin (2)
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Meadow Pipit (1)
Pied Wagtail
Blackbird
When I got back home and checked the Moth Box thoroughly, overhead, another two more Redpolls went over as did a couple of Goldfinches and a Chaffinch.
Twin-spot Carpet moth on my Bike Shed.
While out and about early afternoon, I came across a couple of moths on my travels that were close to one another on a building in Milton. A Large Yellow Underwing and a Turnip Moth was a nice surprise and with the sunshine, I took a few photos of the moths. On my second shift this afternoon in Pembroke Road, I added Jackdaw to my list of bird species seen here when I saw at least three calling birds flying high over Governor's Green and all three birds headed off behind the Garrison Church. When I was having lunch at home, looking through the kitchen window, I noticed a Twin-spot Carpet perched on my Bike Shed and so managed to grab a nice photo of the moth. You just never know what Moths could be hiding in my garden!
This Turnip Moth was found with a Large Yellow Underwing on a Buiding.
In Hampshire today:
I suppose a Serin was probably the best bird in Hampshire today, seen by one lucky birder at Hawkhill Enclosure, near Brockenhurst, New Forest. The long-staying Yellow-browed Warbler was heard and seen briefly at Fishlake Meadows and the White -tailed Eagle was present there again. Heavy rain is due today and most of tomorrow due to Storm Benjamin arriving and the Met Office has issued a Storm warning and so I will not risk putting the Moth Box on tonight. Hurrumph!
A Carrion Crow by the seawall overlooking the Solent.
A much better morning than yesterday with a clear blue sky, very bright sunshine, but much cooler of late with temperatures around 10 degrees first thing. Sadly, it was too dark still to check the Moth Box as I had to leave early for my first shift, but I did take a good look around Curtain Moat this morning. A very good turn out of bird species this morning at Pembroke Road and when I did eventually get home this morning, there was a Moth ‘year-tick’ waiting for me.
My Moth Box:
My first Lead-coloured Tortrix moth for the year.
This morning will probably be remembered for the number of Light Brown Apple Moths with at least 30 counted at 10.30am this morning. There could have been a lot more once it got light, but as mentioned, I had to leave early this morning for my first shift. Macro moths were really scarce this morning with just 5 moths, but the micros were in abundance and my first Lead-coloured Tortrix (Acleris sparsana) of the year was rewarding. Also present was my 3rd Common Fern Moth (Psychoides filicivora) for the year and the Rush Veneer and Rusty-dot Pearl moths added a bit of moth migration to my garden.
My 3rd Common Fern Moth for this year.
The Moths recorded this morning included the following:
MACRO MOTHS
MICRO MOTHS
Large Yellow Underwing x2
Light Brown Apple Moth x30
Lesser Yellow Underwing x1
Common Plume x1
Double-striped Pug x2
Rusty-dot Pearl x3
Rush Veneer x1
Common Fern Moth x1
Lead-coloured Tortrix* x1
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
The early morning sun is rising over Southsea with Curtain Moat in the foreground.
An incredible 25 bird species were recorded here this morning, my highest total this year for this site and considering how poor the weather was yesterday, I suppose it triggered a lot of birds to be on the move. Easily the pick of the bunch was actually around 10am when I was returning back to the car with my pal Gary after a coffee; a small flock of 4 Common Crossbills were first heard then seen flying west. That's the second time within a month I have seen this species over Pembroke Road.
The Curtain Moat looking west from the Bridge. An awful lot of history surrounding this place.
Other notable birds among the 24 species included the male Sparrowhawk flying low over the road and then heading north over the houses and a flock of 5 Cormorants flew first east then a juvenile bird (sporting a very pale breast) split off from the rest and headed back south while the other four headed north. Two Goldcrests were heard in the trees opposite from where I stood; one in the Holm Oaks and another in the Sycamore trees. A Chiffchaff was also seen briefly in the Sycamores before flying off west and one of the Jays made a brief appearance flying from the roadside trees over to the trees bordering the Bowling Green. A Grey Wagtail was first heard and then seen flying low north over the road.
I arrived earlier than I expected this morning and had 15 minutes to kill and so took a walk over to the Curtain Moat, crossing the bridge after walking through the tunnel and up to the seawall and back. Lots of Starlings and Feral Pigeons around, but a calm Solent only held a Black-headed Gull loafing on the water.
The bird species noted this morning included the following:
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