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Western Cattle Egret
Parked up to check white dots about the cattle and found a second Cattle Egret.
If they haven't bred in Norfolk in 2017 surely they'll be added to the breeding birds list in 2018...
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| Western Cattle Egret |
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| 20171116 Western Cattle Egret |
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It that a pale or grey belly?
Note brownish-grey feathers on back within the mid-grey.
SJMG commented, rather bleached Dark-bellied, Pale-bellied look much cleaner. AMS commented, the dark belly extends back between legs enough to eliminate Pale- bellied....the wash on the fore-flanks and belly is clearly grey, any wash here should always be slightly brownish on Pale-bellied. In addition note the pale barring on the upper flanks does not extend down onto the belly or forward enough onto the breast to meat the black neck area. |
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Dark-bellied Brent Goose
Pale bird flew in with these 2. Note odd upper belly patch on left bird.
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20171210 Pale-bellied Brent
In with flock of 400 Dark-bellied near Gravelpit Hill.
Extensive white in flanks on this bird.
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Spotted Redshank
Confiding 1st winter bird.
Kelling WM is holding onto waders well. 3 Little Stint, 2 Jack Snipe and a Curlew Sandpiper today.
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| Spotted Redshank |
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Little Egret
Demonstrating its skills in the shallows here.
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Spotted Redshank
Bird still showing well against good light on the 30th.
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Leaflet for Photo course at Titchwell this autumn.
A great time was had by all on the first day.
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Pectoral Sandpiper and Ruff shot at Titchwell.
Birdwatch Scarcities review July 2017.
The scarce but the
commonest American vagrant to the British Isles a Pectoral Sandpiper turned up at Cley on the
9th September and showed well from the East Bank on the Serpentine. Cley
attracts this species consistently in spring and autumn as it is a very long
distance migrant that has a keenness to go off course. It is actually the
longest distance migrant of any North American shorebird wintering in deepest
South America, Australia and even New Zealand and having breeding grounds in
the Canadian Arctic. The bird at Cley was a juvenile of the year and therefore
has an excuse for being over this side of the Atlantic and way off course. Unusually a Pectoral Sandpiper at Titchwell
Freshmarsh recently at the end of July was an adult in breeding plumage. This
bird was probably a female as it was dull and rather small and the timing
suggesting an early failed breeder. One theory has it that adult
individuals arriving earlier on the east coast may be birds that arrived the
previous year and are undertaking the pattern of north south migration, but on
this side of the Atlantic and wintering in Africa. Another possibility to
consider is that the early birds arriving on the east coast are from the
Siberian population and have therefore come in from the east.
Wader return migration is now well under way down on the
Marshes with commoner vagrants much in evidence, the vanguard of much rarer things to come....Both Pecs associated with the bulkier Ruff providing a good comparison of the two similar wader species. Males of both species are larger than females by up to 30% and can be twice the weight. |
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Tawny Owl
Day roost beside the Fen Trail just above head height.
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