Trip reports
Coach trip to Holkham & RSPB Titchwell Marsh
Sunday, 15 February 2009
HOLKHAM
The highlights at Holkham included excellent views of a small flock of Pink-footed Geese in the fields next to Lady Anne's Drive, clearly unperturbed by the comings and goings of walkers and birdwatchers just a few yards away. Various wildfowl and several Snipe could also be found on the flooded fields, while the sea held a large raft of Common Scoter and two Red-breasted Mergansers.
TITCHWELL
Titchwell started off relatively quiet - by Titchwell standards, perhaps caused by birds moving on during the recent cold snap, although one group found the Water Pipit that had been reported in the bird sightings book. Things improved once we reached the beach, a variety of waders were identified in amongst the rocks and along the shore, but the highlight was a Mediterranean Gull, in full breeding plumage, in with the Black-headed Gulls. The walk back to the visitor centre produced sightings of Peregrine, Marsh Harrier and a brief view of a Bittern in flight.
84 bird species were recorded :
Little grebe, great crested grebe, cormorant, bittern, little egret, grey heron, mute swan, pink-footed goose, greylag goose, Canada goose, brent goose, Egyptian goose, shelduck, wigeon, gadwall, teal, mallard, pintail, shoveler, pochard, common scoter, goldeneye, red-breasted merganser, marsh harrier, sparrowhawk, common buzzard, kestrel, peregrine, red-legged partridge, pheasant, moorhen, coot, oystercatcher, avocet, ringed plover, golden plover, grey plover, lapwing, knot, sanderling, dunlin, snipe, black-tailed godwit, bar-tailed godwit, curlew, spotted redshank, redshank, turnstone, Mediterranean gull, black-headed gull, common gull, herring gull, lesser black-backed gull, woodpigeon, collared dove, barn owl, green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, skylark, meadow pipit, water pipit, pied wagtail, wren, dunnock, robin, stonechat, blackbird, fieldfare, mistle thrush, long-tailed tit, blue tit, great tit, nuthatch, jay, magpie, jackdaw, rook, carrion crow, starling, house sparrow, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch and reed bunting.
Other wildlife:
Muntjac, Rabbit.
Many thanks to Mike Oakland for leading this popular outing.