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<\/a>Great-spotted Woodpecker<\/p>\n Great-spotted Woodpecker<\/p>\n Eurasian Blackbird<\/p>\n Great Tit<\/p>\n Coal Tit<\/p>\n European Robin<\/p>\n We then went onto Cley where the wind was blowing a gale and, at times, the rain was almost horizontal. We spent some time studying the flock of several hundred Brent Goose along the Beach Road. At the beach we walked east along the shingle to see if we could see a Glaucous Gull that had been present feeding on a dead seal but unfortunately the bird was distant and roosting on the marsh. A flock of around 30 Snow Bunting gave some consolation but it was very difficult to photograph them in the high wind.<\/p>\n Brent Geese – Cley-Next-The-Sea<\/p>\n Brent Geese – Cley-Next-The-Sea<\/p>\n Brent Geese – Cley-Next-The-Sea<\/p>\n Snow Bunting – Cley-Next-The-Sea<\/p>\n Snow Bunting – Cley-Next-The-Sea<\/p>\n We had a brief lunch stop at Morston Quay where we were hoping for an obliging Spotted Redshank but instead there was an obliging Common Redshank. We headed in-land scanning the fields and eventually found a covee of 16Grey Partridge at fairly close range<\/p>\n Common Redshank – Morston Quay<\/p>\n Grey Partridge<\/p>\n Grey Partridge<\/p>\n We then went onto a small stream where David had been feeding a Water Rail, it wasn’t long before the bird appeared at close range but unfortunately the bird did not show for long, presumably due to the high winds. We finished the day at Holme Marshes Reserve hoping for a Bittern or a Barn Owl but saw neither. Despite the windy and occasionally wet day we had seen a few nice species and I had definitely found a new confidence with my Olympus set-up; now time to practice.<\/p>\n Water Rail<\/p>\n Water Rail – I quite like the sharp head and the movement shown in the legs and body in this shot<\/p>\n On Saturday we woke to a sunny day but the wind was even stronger. After a leisurely breakfast I convinced Sarah and Tobias that a short walk along the shingle at Cley to see the Glaucous Gull feeding on a dead seal was a good idea but when we arrived, not only was it nearly impossible to stand, but once again the gull was off on the marsh and was far too distant. I think even Tobias was upset at dipping seeing the gull feed on a dead seal. On the return walk a flock of some 70 Snow Bunting was some conciliation. We then headed inland to the road betweenWiveton and Langham where up to four ‘Tundra’ Bean Goose have been present with c.3,000 Pink-footed Geese since 5th February. We stopped route to watch boxing Hare’s which are always enthralling to watch. On arrival at the sugar-beet field where the geese were frequenting, there were a few birders present and I was soon onto a couple of Bean Goose. They were very easy to pick-out of the masses of Pink-footed Goose by way of their bright orange legs.<\/p>\n Pink-footed Goose – Between Wiveton and Langham<\/p>\n ‘Tundra’ Bean Goose with Pink-footed Goose – Between Wiveton and Langham<\/p>\n Pink-footed Goose, note the Barnacle Goose at the top of the image, I failed to notice this bird and my images show two birds to be present – Between Wiveton and Langham<\/p>\n We then headed to Holkham where a flock of c.30 Horned Lark have been wintering, we parked on Lady Anne Drive, which is like a zoo now that the new visitor centre has been constructed. Sarah and Tobias wanted to stay in the car due to the wind so I walked swiftly to Holkham Gap through the crowds and quickly came across a small group of birders watching the Shore Lark. The birds were moderately close, maybe 20m away, feeding in the saltmarsh vegetation. Always great to see these stunning little birds. I watched them for around 15 minutes until the flock took off and flew north much further away from the path, in flight I counted 29 birds, the largest flock I had seen in the UK.<\/p>\n Horned Lark – Holkham Gap<\/p>\n Horned Lark – Holkham Gap<\/p>\n Egyptian Goose – Lady Annes Drive, Holkham<\/p>\n After dropping Sarah back at the hotel for a spa treatment, Tobias and I set-out to look for Barn Owl, he was really keen to see Barn Owl. We drove from Burnham Market and out to the coast road and fairly quickly I spotted a distant Barn Owl hunting the meadows to the north of the coast road at Burnham Overy Mill. The bird headed north-west and we followed it along the main road to Norton Hall Farm where we eventually had great views. Tobias was made up with this and wanted a toy Barn Owl to celebrate so we popped to Titchwell where we obtained said toy and also got good views of a Woodcock in the car park. We spent the last hour of the day driving the fields inland trying to get photos and more looks of Hare but despite seeing many we never found one close enough for decent photos. The highlight was a fantastic flock of around 5,000 Pink-footed Goose that we came across in fields north of Stanhoe, as we parked on the verge next to the fields the flock took flight and passed overhead, an amazing site and sound.<\/p>\n Barn Owl – Norton Hall Farm, Burnham Norton<\/p>\n Barn Owl – Norton Hall Farm, Burnham Norton<\/p>\n Barn Owl – Norton Hall Farm, Burnham Norton<\/p>\n