20260321 Hen Harrier & Short-eared Owl, Blakeney Spit

 

20260321 Cley Marshes
Misty early morn.
9-18mm at 36mm equiv, F7.1

20260321 Cley Marshes
Greyscale has it...?

20260321 Short-eared Owl
Over Blakeney Eye in murky light.
656mm, 1/2500th sec, F8.

20260321 Hen Harrier
Male hunting along shingle ridge.
Bird turned as not quick enough to drop to ground, and first focus missed here....
due to heat haze even at F11.
Note MC-14 at 1680mm as sun had got up.

20260321 Short-eared Owl
Massive crop.

20260321 Hen Harrier
Left wing on view in this shot...adds dimension to the image cf above.

20260319 Glaucous Gull, Horsey Gap

 

20260319 Little Egret
Arnolds's Marsh early morn.

20260319 Glaucous Gull
2nd winter as plumage blotchy and iris now pale.

20260319 Carrion Crow
Collecting Seal fur for nest.

20260319 Glaucous Gull
2nd winter with damaged right primaries.
Could be why the bird has not gone North as yet, along with the Seal bounty.

20260319 Glaucous Gull
On favourite well hung carcass.

20260319 Glaucous Gull

20260319 Horsey Gap
Only a few Grey Seals remain.

20260319 Shelduck
Arnold's Marsh early morn.

20260316 Herring Gull... Ness Point Lowestoft

 

20260316 Herring Gull
It appears Birdguides put the news out as Pallas's gull at the first....
not 'possible'?? 
Single observer on a brief flight view, no photo... so it turns out?!

20260316 Herring Gull
Doing a merry dance for all.
Note staining on breast and belly...

20260316
Right side of head.

20260316
Left side of head...!?
Surprise should only last a nano second.
As a top twitcher said after the unfortunate dust had settled...:
'I would have had to move on possible anyway...'

20260316 Great Cormorant
1st winter, Rollesby Broad and assessment of Pallas's Gull info for twitch...
'Near adult' must be genuine...??

20260316 Harris's Hawk
Falconer in Birdseye grounds flying Hawk at Gulls.
Highly interesting situation if a Pallas's Gull had been present...
The Hawk was reluctant to fly up high onto roofs and at the Gulls. 

20260307 Reed Bunting 'BK', Cley Marshes

20260307 Reed Bunting
White BK on a dull brown darvik, but looked black in the field.

20260307 Reed Bunting
BK of the Iceni Bird Monitoring Group.
Ringed Langham, Norfolk on 25^th February 2025.
The first control in the Reed Bunting project.

20260307 Goldfinch
Stiffkey SM

20260307 Brown Hare
Abundant Cockthorpe Airfield.
Shot from Vitari in overcast light, 1200mm.

 

20260310 Reed Bunting
BK with female by Boardwalk.
2 further pairs feeding here. No further rings seen as yet...

20260310 Reed Bunting
Female following BK about reed bed.
From litt most likely a communal roosting area this early in spring.

20260310 Little Egret
One last fish at eventide.

20260307 Cockthorpe Airfield
New turkey sheds across the whole site, a total refit.
Finally nail in coffin, no air vents and shelter for Little Owls...
New developments always impact wildlife.

20260305 Peregrine & Marsh Harrier, Cley Marshes

 

20260305 Barn Owl
Hunting Blakeney Freshes early morn.

20260305 Reed Bunting 
In full spring song.
Back and side light with mellow background.

20260305 Peregrine
Spooked  all off North Scrape then all other scrapes, just for fun.
Mobbed by the crazy Avocets.

20260305 Peregrine
1st winter bird which did not press home any attack.
Seemed to peer about at Dunlin hiding in Avocet mallee.

20260305 Peregrine
Buzzing Pats pool but without intent.
Appeared as a large Falcon, but not well fed.

20260503 Marsh Harrier
Male with birthday gifts for females.

20250305 Peregrine
Banking as if to strike at Dunlin, centre of image...
but levelled out and glided away.
Massed Avocet mobbing could have been effective here.
A Buzzard has been seen to knock down overly keen Avocet in recent years.

20260305 Reed Bunting
As above, but from less of a light angle...
Birds body and head side on, but less of a 3D effect....

20260302 Marsh Harrier
Cley alpha male now has a damaged left leg.

20260227 Eastern Black Redstart, Sheringham

20260227 Great Black-backed Gull
4th winter shoving 3rd winter Herring Gull off new groyne.
Flight mode upped to 1/2500th sec.

20260227 Eastern Black Redstart
Esplanade Gardens territory.

20260227 E Black Red
Now in full song. A rather sharp and scratchy warble.

20260227 E Black Redstart
Singing and dancing in the rain.

20260220 Ferruginous Duck & Common Pochard, Holkham Lake

20260220 C Buzzard
By Village CP in twilight.
F6.3 1/80th sec, ISO25600...

20260220 Barnacle Goose
Feral flock of 900+. Additional flocks flew in throughout the morn...
With plenty of indigenous geese species why has this happened??

20260220 Ferruginous Duck
Adult male, far side of Lake.
Note clean white belly patch.

20260220 Ferruginous Duck
Often showing interest in 2 female Pochard.

20260220 Ferruginous Duck

 

20260221 Pink-footed Goose
2000+ Brant Hill, Holkham.

20260221 Ferruginous Duck
Brighter conditions today.

20260221 Ferruginous Duck
Having read about the white chin spot not often seen in the field...
The fleshy white spot at the base of the bill. Male Baer's Pochard and Ringed-neck Duck also
sport a spot.

20260221 Common Pochard
Large Pochard attraction this winter, 200+ birds on the Lake.

20260221 Ferruginous Duck
White under-tail coverts and vent diagnostic.

20260221 Ferruginous Duck
1680mm, F11, 1/1600th, ISO4000.
Less bulky than the solid Pochard.

20210224 Northern Goshawk
Past photo of the week, male Goshawk over Hempstead.
Now is the time...