Slender billed Nutcracker at Mundesley in Norfolk

I was walking the reservoir on Saturday morning when news broke that a Nutcracker had been refound in Mundesley Norfolk having first been seen on Thursday. I called the Jims, marched back to the car and picked them up on my way to the M25. It took 3 hours to get to Trunch road in Mundesley where we found a crowd of like minded fools standing in the rain watching the front garden where the bird had last been seen a couple of hours prior to our arrival. We stood in the rain for a few hours chatting and catching up with birding pals from far and wide but there was no sign of the target and eventually we gave in late afternoon and started the journey home only to see news that the bird had returned to the garden with us no more than five miles out. We turned around and headed back but of course the bird had now gone again and now we had to talk to the same guys as before but now they'd all seen the bird and we obviously hadn't. We stuck it out until it was almost dark still raining and now quite soaked we headed home very disappointed in how the twitch had turned out for us.

Dad had a lunch commitment for Sunday so quickly ruled himself out of a next day return and I was having some real nasty pain from my knee so wasn't if I could do the drive again. I told Jimmy to keep his phone on and if I woke thinking I could make the drive I'd pick him up. I tossed and turned all night both with the knee pain and the thought of missing this much wanted bird. At 3am I called Jim and picked him up at 4.30am having decided despite the pain in my knee I was still going to try for it again.

On arrival at around 7.45am we found an even bigger crowd than yesterday gathered at the house and parking was difficult meaning we had to walk about a mile to get back to the house which I could have done without on a dodgy knee. As we neared the house we noticed the crowd had disappeared so a quick check on birdguides "Nutcracker showing well on Water Lane" and off we go at pace another mile or so down the road to find about two hundred people gathered on a wooden bridge in the local park. With help we got straight on the bird and enjoyed it in view for the next two hours as it moved from the trees to the road to the houses and back looking for food which seemed to be mostly wasps.

What a day, what a twitch and what a bird!

I've wanted to see a Nutcracker since I was a young lad reading bird books thinking I'd never see some of these. Spoonbill had that romance for me and I still remember my first at Minsmere back in the 80's and this Nutcracker is very much a similar iconic bird for me.

The journey home was painful as my knee paid me back for a) all the driving of the last two days, b) the walking to the bird including a short run and c) all the standing around but no amount of pain would take away from the experience of seeing this fabulous bird.

Year list now 234 Life list now 458 and Norfolk list now 301.

A day at Canvey point

I took a trip down to Canvey point on 20th October hoping the easterly winds forecast would give some sea passage. High tide was at 7am which wasn't ideal as I'd have liked to be the there on the rising tide but with sunrise at 7am I made the point of arriving for 7.30am and gave it three hours of my valuable time.

Just me, Hutton birder and two locals from Leigh on sea thought the forecast worth getting out of bed for but we enjoyed the morning. The best bird was a juvenile Sabine's Gull that flew along the promenade and over our heads. A Purple Sandpiper flew along the tide line in front of us and landed on the spit very briefly. Med Gulls were seen and we had some Common and Sandwich Terns with one Arctic reported but I couldn't get enough on it to call as it was very distant. Two Razorbill flew fast with the wind up the channel whilst Gannets flew into the wind out of the channel. Both Kittiwake and Little Gulls flew out of the channel with adults and Juveniles present. Red Throated Divers were also seen along with big numbers of duck which included Scoter, Pintail, Wigeon, Teal, Shelduck and Mallard. 

Lot's of waders were seen with Turnstone the most prominent as over 150 flew into the bay with around 40 or more Ringed Plovers and of course Oystercatcher was very numerous in the bay along with a few Curlew.

An enjoyable three hours before heading home to do my family commitments.

Med Gull

Med Gull

My dreadful record shot of the Purple Sandpiper with the settings all wrong as I snatched this one image

 

September at the George

Well I kept up the effort and walked the George most days throughout September although I haven't made it a principle to do the whole circuit every visit opting instead to walk up to magic corner and back on occasion to shorten the miles and the minutes a bit and get me home to Suzanne a little earlier now that I can't start until the later sunrise times.

The effort this month gave me a new bird for the site in the form of a Marsh Harrier seen on 10th as it flew up north basin and I managed to get Chris F. on it too for his first at the site. I added a date to Ebird for Coal Tit, Rook and Stonechat. (All birds I've seen before at the reservoir but didn't have a date to record them on Ebird) and I saw my second Short eared Owl for the year at the reservoir which I enjoyed with both Neville and Ian. I've missed a few birds this month as Ian had a Snipe on 26th whilst I was having a day off to clear the worst of a head cold and I also missed Reed Warbler that again Ian had and try as I might I couldn't find one lurking around or passing through the bushes with the other passerines. Eugene had a Skylark on 16th whilst I was actually there and Aaron had an adult Yellow legged Gull whilst I was at home with the cold on Saturday 26th which proved an expensive day off in terms of missing the Gull and the Snipe. Two other birds were reported by visiting birders but I haven't spoken to them and at this point I'm unsure of the record for September of Ruff and Shelduck . I also know of two other birds seen by guys that don't use Ebird and these where Whimbrel (Andrew M.) and Sandwich Tern (Richard B) so I think a site total for September sits at 103 of which I saw 98.

The years total is now 132 and beyond my target of 130. I can't see too many more species dropping in but I do expect Rock pipit and Redpoll in the winter so those two should be givens and maybe just a surprise or two.

Here's a few of the birds encountered this month.

Gadwall

Wigeon

Pheasant

Goosander

Red Kite

Fox

Peregrine

Scaup

Starling

Hybrid (Canada x Greylag)

Med Gull

Peregrine

Knot

Black necked Grebe

Pochard

Cormorant

Hirundines

Black-necked Grebes

Crow

Whinchat

Whinchat

Swan

Scaup

Wheatear

Little ringed Plover

Wheatear

Peregrine

Turnstone

I also managed to read the ring on the Peregrine at last and found it to have been rung in May this year at a nest in Bury St.Edmunds so that put that to bed although locally we had it down as a female and the ringers had it down as a male. (Update that I sent the record directly to the BTO and they have the bird down as a female now)

So onwards and upwards as we move into October.

Fudge duck at Abberton

I took Suzanne to see her brother in Tiptree on Thursday so nicked an hour at Abberton where I found the reported Fudge duck and managed to get news out for the other guys up there hoping to see it.

I counted 58 species whilst there from both causeways and a very quick scan from Wig bay hide.

The highlights were 25 Spoonbill, 18 Great White Egrets, 5 Spotted Redshanks, 2 Green Sandpipers and a Wheatear.

My first year tick for a while where I've been working the reservoir so hard.

Who's have thought we have scenes like this in Essex