Trip reports

Norfolk Wader Weekend November 13th -16th 2009

Wednesday, 3 February 2010

The Group chose to stay in a Hotel at Titchwell as it was close to local RSPB reserves. The highlight of the trip was a pre dawn visit to Snettisham to watch thousands of pink footed geese leave the mud flats to feed on the beet fields.The group left the car park at Snettisham in the dark and made their way with torches walking on paths and boardwalks to the foreshore to watch the sun rise and listen to the increasing honking from the geese as they restlessly waited to fly off.The reserve can hold up to one-sixth of the world's population of pink-foots and is an important wintering ground.
As it became light thousands of birds could be seen including brent, greylag and Canada geese with shelduck and hundreds of different waders. One lone white goose was spotted , a single snow goose. The pink foots started to lift off in parties often in a V formation honking as they set off and it took at least half an hour for them all to leave. This was a wonderful spectacle and was followed by clouds of waders including knot, dunlin, blacktailed godwit, grey plover and curlew. On the way back to the carpark the group saw twite and a barn owl which was hunting over the saline lagoons.
A visit to Holme later whilst walking along the beach the group saw a good flock of snow buntings with twite skylark, linnet,reed buntings and stonechat near the golf course.
Four members of the group made a visit to Santon Downham in Thetford Forest on their way to Norfolk hoping to find hawfinches. They did not see any but were rewarded by seeing siskins and bramblings and a group of crossbills which settled in the fir trees feeding on fir cones. They were very impressed by the stunning colour of the males.
Coming home the group visited the Ouse washes where they had good views of Hen harrier and a good flock of whooper swans with several Bewicks.
Report by Colin Strudwick and Eve Catlitt