Breckland Birder

Breckland Birder
Red Deer in Breckland, Norfolk Photo by Paul Newport

Saturday 17 October 2015

North Pickenham (Houghton), Norfolk

I arrived at Houghton-on-the-Hill in the early morning darkness.  I took a circular walk from St Mary's Church taking in the access track, the road to Holme Hale, and the track leading back to Houghton Common.
Full cloud cover at dawn remained virtually all day long, occasional light drizzle, and a fresh north wind.

1 Buzzard
5+ Tawny Owls (calling males)
200+ Fieldfares
Song Thrushes
Redwings
15+ Goldcrests

The first bird of this early hour was calling male Tawny Owl, and by the time I had reached the end of the track, a total of 5 Tawny Owls called around me, a wonderful serenade in the darkness.
The first migrant Thrush species was calling Song Thrush passing overhead in the darkness.  Both Song Thrushes and Redwings were in the well-wooded hedgerows leading to Houghton Common.  On Houghton Common and with slightly improving light, I could see that there was an arrival of Song Thrushes in the hedgerows east of the church.  Several of these Thrushes were disturbed as I walked between the hedgerows, I was unsure of a true count, but it must have been 10+ birds.
After a brief visit to the churchyard, I decided to walk back along the hedgerow corridor east of the church.  Singleton Redwings and Song Thrushes were seen, but also, visible migration seen with 200+ Fieldfares passing in a south-south east heading.
A check of the woodland close to the church revealed Tits and Goldcrests (15+ in total today), also, small parties of Redwings passed over.

Watton (from garden)
Shortly following my arrival home from Houghton, small numbers of Thrushes continued to pass over, this included at least 2 Fieldfares over south and giving their somewhat harsh "shack shack" call.

2 comments:

  1. "Full cloud cover at dawn remained virtually all day long, occasional light drizzle, and a fresh north wind"...
    Sorry Paul, you got our Friday weather...
    fresh North wind... it was bleedin' nitherin'...
    first time in ages that we've had a lazy Norfolk wind...
    yesterday was better...
    but very little to be seen, still!!
    One Green Woodpecker anting... out in the verger...
    then stopped and ate up his "cleaners"... that's grateful for you!!

    Sun's full out this morning and already there's some movement...
    Great Tits at the front door... teasing the cat...
    she's an "observer"... not a hunter... biggest thing she's ever caught is a moth...
    a small one... we regularly get Giant Peacock Moths here... 3.5" wingspan...
    she's never tried to catch one of those... instead, she sniffs at them...
    occasionally, and delicately, touching them with her paw.

    A Great Tit has just come and hovered right in front of her mush...
    they, the Blues, the Black Redstarts, Wrens, Warblers...
    all understand double-glazing... it is a source of insects for them...
    and, if the sun is in the right direction... a challenger for the Robin!!

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  2. And I thought you might like to take a look at this, Paul...
    http://le-moulin-de-la-forge.blogspot.fr/2015/10/the-birdwatching-fraternity.html
    just a liitle something inspired by someone elses blogpost!!

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