Wednesday 9 December 2015

Norfolk Trip

We spent 6 days in Norfolk on a Wild Goose Chase! The main objective being to see the Pink Footed Geese coming in to roost. This we did in style seeing them come in at Snettisham twice and twice a Holkham. Sadly there will be no photos in this post as my blinking camera decided to pack up again!

The first attempt at Snettisham was spectacular but due to the weather and not the numbers of geese. We waited in the first hide with the weather outside blowing a gale and at times also lashing it down. When the geese started arriving to roost on the low tide mud flats, they struggled to get in! The wind was blowing straight in from the sea and we watched the geese slowly crawl forward against the fierce headwind. Some actually crash landed into the lagoons on the landside of the hide. They literally were falling out of the sky exhausted it was at the same time spectacular but also heart rending as they came down. Happily after a rest most took off again and made it over us and out onto the mud.

So apart from our goose chase we visited various locations and built up a good tally of 81 species for the 6 days. However despite visiting Snettisham on three separate occasions the Pallid Harrier that has been reported every day for a couple of weeks or so eluded us, that's life!

We had a great Barn Owl view at Sculthorpe Moor (Hawk and Owl Trust) as well as a very brief Bittern sighting and as always with Sculthorpe a few Brambling.

Titchwell was great for Duck and Waders with Pintail being the highlight.

As always with the north Norfolk coast, Brent Geese were everywhere, plus a few Egyptian Geese around as well. We tried both Titchwell and Holme NOA for Shorelark and again although they were around, not for us. One of the volunteers at the observatory told us they had just been scattered by a Merlin!