Watton Brook Valley, Norfolk

Now that migration is picking up, I decided to check the brook and its various ditches and varied habitat for signs of passage species.  A number of fences were checked for something more rare, a Shrike possibly, these were my thoughts anyway prior to setting off.
Walking along a fence thoughts entered my mind of previous years when I have found evidence of  probable Shrike activity in the form of impaled prey.

Impaled Beetle Watton Brook Valley 18th August

I eventually found what I was looking for, an impaled beetle on barbed wire, it was still alive, therefore I decided to wait a while to see if a Shrike appeared to claim its food, however, no sign.  I checked many fences alongside ditches both on this initial visit and again mid-afternoon onwards, again with no luck.
Of particular interest, I have found impaled prey in the valley in 3 of the previous 6 years, clearly this indicates that Shrikes pass through at inland localities, not just the coast, this also shows that this part of my patch appears to be an important flyway for Shrikes and other migrants.
The most abundant species seen today was Goldfinch with charms of adults and juvenile birds at various locations in the valley where they were attracted to the wealth of weed seeds, especially sourced from thistle-type species.

Goldfinch (juvenile) Watton Brook Valley 18th August

Family parties of Swallows were present, often, young Swallows perched together on fences and fed by parents.  A couple of House Martins also seen.
Few other migrants seen other than at least 3 Whitethroats in the valley, these Warblers looking very smart in their fresh plumages.  A particular noticeable feature of these Whitethroat was the very rusty looking secondary patches, noticeable too at range.




The above pictured Goldfinch is a juvenile bird.  This young bird lacks the 'red face' of the adult bird, however, identification is not a problem as all ages show the beautiful golden-yellow wing patch.