Trip reports

Group Weekend in North Norfolk

Friday, 26 October 2007

This year 21 Members took over The Linksway Hotel, Old Hunstanton for the weekend, organised by Phil Blatcher. As usual we enjoyed good hospitality and excellent food in this cosy hotel.

We were very lucky because despite the forecast we had virtually no rain. Although it was overcast much of the time we did get some sunny periods on Saturday and Sunday and it was fairly mild. There was virtually no wind on Friday and this increased to a brisk south westerly by Sunday.

Bird Highlights:

Holkham Gap - Pines, freshmarsh and beach:- Gannet, red-throated diver, lesser white-fronted goose, pink-footed goose, marsh harrier, peregrine, green sandpiper, green woodpecker and firecrest

Wells-next-the-Sea. Great white egret (2), little egret, rough-legged buzzard, rock pipit.

Holme. Barn owl, stonechat.

Old Hunstanton. Knot (5,000), kittiwake, black redstart.

Titchwell. Red-necked grebe, Slavonian grebe, pintail, red-crested pochard, eider, common & velvet scoter, red-breasted merganser, water rail, spotted redshank, avocet, little stint, guillemot, twite.

In total 103 bird species were seen by the group during the main part of the weekend.

Mammals seen: grey seal, hedgehog, muntjac deer, brown rat, rabbit
Insects seen: common darter, migrant hawker, red admiral

Several other interesting bird species were seen by group members on the Friday and on the Sunday afternoon bringing the total to 118:

Salthouse: Lapland bunting (2), Egyptian goose

Cley: Black-throated diver, razorbill, Cetti's warbler

Holkham freshmarsh: Ross's goose

Choseley Barns: Hen harrier, yellowhammer, corn bunting

Holme: Long-eared owl

Welney: Bewick & whooper swan

Flitcham: Buzzard

Many thanks to Phil Blatcher for organising this very popular group weekend again.