20211231 Horned Lark Holkham beach, Cattle Egret Wells

 

20211231 Horned Lark
One bird hiding in flock of 25 Snow Bunting.
Birds going down in strange ropped off area behind the dunes with signs claiming breeding birds....
Horeds of people around the perimetre and horeds of dogs running all over...

20211231 Horned Lark
4 birds flew into ropped off area.
Talked with 4 twitchers from way out of county, all complained over car park charges in 
completely full Lady Anns drive....

20211231 Horned Lark
Photo op, against the low winter light.

20211231 Cattle Egret
By main road in horse paddock and relatively tame, Wells-Next-The-Sea.

20211231 Cattle Egret
Faint orange buff tinge to forehead. A dusting.
Bill darkens at distal end despite dark earth, probably a first winter bird from the Holkham Freshes 
Reserve.

20211214 European Beaver, Norfolk Rivers Trust

20210728 Beaver enclosure
Wire mesh fence about man heigh.
Round damp woodland with very small stream in dyke.

 

20211214 Dams
2 of 3 constructed at the lowest point of the stream within enclosure.

20211214 Strips of wood.

20211214 Gnawerd trunk
About 1m off the ground.

20220201 Largest pool and Dam.
Was an ankle deep dyke. Just amazing.

20220201 Looking for signs of Beaver...!

20211209 Iceland Gull on seal pups, Cley & Salthouse

20211209 Iceland Gull
Early morn on beach by Arnolds.

20211209 Iceland Gull
1st winter again in sunlight.
Miss aged as 2nd winter when on Cley Beach....??
Pushed off a seal pup carcass by GBB.

20211209 Iceland Gull
 Ist winter on Salthouse beach late morning.
Note the same bill pattern and grey eye mask as early morn shots above.
Two birds claimed this morning, but actually only one mobile individual moving between carcassses.

20211209 Iceland Gull

20211209 Iceland Gull

20211204 Barred Warbler, Leatherpool Lane Wiveton

 

20211205 Barred Warbler

20211204 Barred Warbler

20211204 Barred Warbler
2021 Xmas card.

20211109 KGB Wild Goose Chase, Pink-foot VDA and Tundra Bean, Bircham Newton & Salthouse

 

20211109 Pink-footed Goose
Grey VDA in family of 4. Flock c3000 strong nr Bircham Newton.
WWT data requested...

20211109 Tundra Bean Goose
Reddish orange bill patch and faint bill rim.

20211109 Tundra Bean Goose
Fuller head and heavier body than Pinks.

20211109 Red Kite
...then there were Kites at dusk....

20211116 Pink-footed Goose
Bird in full-on Whiffle.
Most birds steadily loose height by gliding in on relalxed wings and feet down, some just have to 
whiffle...

20211119 Tundra Bean Goose
Salthouse Marshes, with 2000 Pinks.

20211119 Russian White-fronted Goose

20211119 Tundra Bean Goose
Restricted orange band on bill, rather than an extensive orange flash as in Taiga.
Inner wing coverts pale brown, primary coverts are grey.

20211119 Tundra Bean Goose

20211120 Pink-footed Goose
Wing stretch showing pale grey inner wing coverts to compare with Beans pale brown above.

20211211 Pink-footed Goose

Head detail of injured bird on Simmonds.

Average amount of pink bill flash on this bird. A few birds show a small band as in Tundra

Bean, and a very few show an almost completely pink bill with a black nail.

20211102 Common Tern & Caspian Gull RSPB Titchwell

 

20211102 Common tern..??
Short legs and bill, well hooded, but bill not wholly black at advanced juv stage..?
Wet belly feathers obscuring leg length...
Upper tertial has moulted to pale grey.

White secondaries,
short legged again in this shot.

Secondaries darker than ideal and obsured by edge of greater coverts...
Minimal black on primary tips suggest Arctic but Common may have faided by this late date...
Brown-grey tones in upperparts and necky look suggest Common...
Blackish outer tail feathers on both species juvenile stage.

Overall white wing and rump...

20211102 Caspin Gull
Large Gull roost developed on Freshmarsh.

20211030 Short-toed Lark, West Runton

 

20211030 Short-toed Lark
Early morning, dull and overcast.
Bird flew to near Coast Path but had a seed in its muddied bill...
Also tertials appeared dark and damp in the morning.

20211030 Short-toed Lark
In evening sun and dried out.
Front of cap shaded to a orange brown.

20211108 Short-toed Lark
In strong evening light.
Overall paler and more uniform than Skylark.
Flew with c10 Skylark to weedy stubble feild and was impossible to see here.
Overhead noticably smaller and more rapid flight action than Skylark.
Flight call: a short 'jeep' or 'drit'... not as drawn out 'prrreet' of Skylark.

20211028 Great Grey Shrike & Hen Harrier, Waxham

 

20211028 Great Grey Shrike
Wide ranging zoomer in evening light.
Pale bill base and flank barring of juvenile.

20211028 Great Grey Shrike
Faint greater coverts bar showing.
Of note, the large white primary base patch, almost white upper tail coverts and developing white forehead...

20211028 Hen Harrier
Juv. in warm evening light.

20211028 Hen Harrier
Primary profile and large rump patch of Hen.

20211028 Great Grey Shrike

20211028 Great grey Shrike
White base to tail feathers as homeyeri...

20211008,19 Baltic Gull, Cley Marshes pre-roost

 

20211008 Baltic Gull
Pats pool roost, 1747hrs for 10mins.
Note 'Langham Dome Head', comparible with a slender Iceland Gull.
Long mirror against shaft on P10 suggest male as minimal in female, also a large bird.
White tips of new inner primaries show, older tips worn off.
Full breeding plumage retained into October. 

20211008 Baltic Gull
Left side of bird not seen.
Clean white head and nape as Yellow leg adult behind, cf other LBB head streaking in shot.

20180605 Baltic Gull 
RSPB Titchwell
Domed head and high contrast bill.
White primary tips worn away by early June.

20211019 Baltic Gull
Juvenile in Pats roost on 19th.

20211019 Caspian Gull
Large and snouty 1st winter bird into Pats roost.

20211008 Baltic Gull ID plate

Baltic Gulls pending, comments from BBRC and NRC.

Top left to centre image:  8^th Oct 2021 Cley Marshes pre-roost. Foreground adult Baltic Gull Larus fuscus fuscus, in retained breeding plumage as 3^rd summer and older. Showing smaller domed head and thinner bill than congeners.
Thin but obvious mirror on P10 and primary tips worn. Brownish tint to black upperparts. Full breeding plumage retained on this well built individual.
Centre bird adult winter Lesser Black-back, L fuscus intermedius. Extensive head and neck striking in October and blueish dark grey upperparts, appraoching blackish... Single wide mirror on P10 and well tipped primaries.
Rear bird adult winter Yellow-legged Gull, L michahellis.  Minimal Head streaking in this species winter plumage and mid bluish grey upperparts. Large squarer head and heavey bill.

Bottom left image:  5^th June 2018 Titchwell Freshmarsh. 2^nd summer Baltic Gull. Near adult plumage with browner tones in wing coverts. Long primary projection beyond tail gives an extremley attenuated rear end of Baltic Gull. Mirrors could not be detected in this birds primaries. Domed head and thinner high contrast bill on which a hint of a dark sub-terminal band could be seen.

Bottom right image: 20^th August 2016 Cley Marshes. Remains of black band on bill agan. Its worth waiting for a full body stretch with any suspect Gull such as this to reveal remnants of a black band in tail and to check moult progression in remiges. Single small mirror on P10 without any white tips as in adult plumage, although P1-P3 look new with unwarn wide tips.  

The potential for pure L f fuscus vagrants is still on the cards following some concern over there status. See Dominics Mitchells article 'identity crisis' Birdguides and British Birds 111: 499-511.