Breckland Birder

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

Wednesday 19 July 2017

Deopham, Norfolk

I went out this morning just as the previous nights storms were moving off to give brighter conditions, the wind was a moderate easterly, and the expected high today is 30 degrees Celsius.
Last night I heard a Green Sandpiper pass over Watton after 2200hrs, with this I decided to visit habitat near Deopham which should attract a passage Wader species.
Last nights thunder storms resulted in plenty of surface water on the roads but most were passable with care.  I arrived at my destination near Deopham and firstly checked the muck heap where a Wader should drop in, however, this morning only a couple of Pied Wagtails were seen, an adult female and a juvenile bird.
I then walked north-east along the road which is on the course of the former main runway of the second world war USAF airfield.  The country here is a vast expanse of arable with pockets of small woodland and some excellent Bramble cover.  This was a quiet morning with an occasional car passing by, whilst in a nearby field, farm machinery stand silent within a part harvested crop of Oilseed Rape.
Reaching a wonderful habitat of Bramble cover within isolated, exposed country, a family party of Whitethroats were heard giving their agitated calls, the occasional bird briefly breaking cover to check me out. One adult bird carrying food looked a little scruffy in appearance, clearly a result of the birds busy lifestyle raising its young.
Whitethroat near Deopham 19th July. One of a family party in a lovely patch of bramble within vast, open country.
Many Whitethroat breeding habitats checked on my patch recently have now fallen silent as youngsters disperse from their natal sites, this results in young Whitethroats turning up anywhere as they follow good food sources.
Close by to where I was watching the Whitethroat family, about 20 Swallows passed by low over a crop of corn, whilst a single Common Tern passed over in a northerly heading.
A Finch species associated with open country is the Linnet, a number of these birds were flying about in variable directions, however, a small flock of about 6 birds alighted in a small Hawthorn, two of these birds were males and showed off their stunning rosy breast patches in the early light.
A final check of the muck heap once again produced just Pied Wagtail.

2 comments:

  1. There were 4 Cranes feeding on corn stubble at Stow Bedon this morning in a field off A1075 north of B1111. Took off 8.00am flew in large anti clockwise circle before heading South West.

    ReplyDelete