April 2024

1 April

A murky, grey start to the day with fair distant visibility.  Light was variable due to low cloud. The afternoon was brighter and quite warm.

An early morning visit to the boundary of the army training area at Bodney produced 2 singing Chiffchaff, one Blackcap, Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush.  A displaying male Curlew was a wonderful reminder of how important Breckland is to this bird, a species whose song is more reminiscent of lonely upland moorland habitat.

A flooded meadow held Mute Swans, Gadwall, Mallard, and a pair of Shelduck, and as expected, several Snipe were flushed from the wet ditch and nearby wet meadow.  

Two Cranes flew low and N/E and were watched until lost to view.  

3 April

I was just outside the small village of Garvestone when my attention was drawn to the distant call of Ravens, a short search of the area eventually revealed a pair of Ravens noisily calling and often alighting on one of the many pylons

Raven.  Increasing in Norfolk

6 April

The morning began with a single Siskin sitting in the top of our Ash tree, this bird rapidly departed upon the arrival of a female Sparrowhawk.

At Bodney, a very elegant Great White Egret was seen on a flooded meadow.  A very distinctive species, even at range.

A mid-morning visit to Hockham saw a pair of  Marsh Harriers displaying overhead. Also here was at least 3 singing Blackcaps and a pair of Chiffchaff engaged in courtship behaviour.

7 April

I decided to visit the path from Thompson Church to Griston road because the large meadow looks prime habitat for both passage Wheatear and Ring Ouzel, although none were seen it was good to see another target species at this locality, a pair of Stonechats.  The male bird was the most frequently seen bird as he hung onto the tops of tall weeds and bushes in the strong wind.  The ♀ Stonechat was seen later on one occasion on a bush top, I suspect her absence earlier was probably due to her being at her nest. 

A singing Willow Warbler was briefly heard rather distantly in suitable breeding habitat alongside the Drove Road, the wind did not help in trying to relocate the song again.

Also seen on this visit was a single Redwing.  I noticed a small Thrush-sized bird fly up from the ground into a thick hedge, this briefest of glimpses revealed the orange-red axillaries.  The bird was later relocated in a bush giving its alarm call.

11 April

I had a slow walk through the mature Scots Pines which looked good for Redstart, especially given the habitat similarities with Wretham Heath.  The Scots Pine habitat held singing Marsh Tit, Coal Tit, and Treecreeper, whilst overhead a ♂ Woodlark was performing its song-flight.  A little later the Woodlark was joined by a second bird, a chase ensued through and above the trees, at one point at height, both Woodlarks appeared to make physical contact.

The first of two Willow Warblers was seen and heard in song in open woodland habitat with scattered Hawthorn and Blackthorn with lots of Bracken ground cover.

A scan of bare ground and heath west of the road looked good for migrants, so a scan of the ground produced a single Northern Wheatear.  The bird was still and I first noticed the ochre throat and breast of the bird, a distinctive feature despite the distance.

12 April

A visit to Wayland Fields ponds in Watton produced a single Green Sandpiper around the muddy fringes of a pond.  Also seen here was a pair of Egyptian Geese with 8 young birds.

14 April

With an extended late morning work break I decided to pay a visit to Seamere Marsh at Hingham. The highlight of this visit was the presence of a singing Lesser Whitethroat (my earliest ever date for this Sylvia Warbler.

Also seen was a male Reed Bunting in suitable breeding habitat whilst overhead a male Kestrel was hunting.  A female Sparrowhawk soared overhead and two Swallows arrived over the marsh.  Both Blackcap and Chiffchaff were singing.    

16 April

Following on from my earliest Lesser Whitethroat on the 14th a further 3 singing birds were located in the Great Cressingham area on the 16th.  Reports from other parts of the country indicates there was a big arrival of this species on these same dates.

20 April

A visit to Thompson Common produced a singing Garden Warbler (first of the year) and a singing Cetti's Warbler.

21 April

A visit to the Watton Brook Valley at Bodney was to be a memorable one with all three Egret species seen together.  Two Great White Egrets, two Little Egrets, and a single Cattle Egret were all standing more or less together on wet grassland.

Even without the use of binoculars I could see that one of the Egrets was noticeably smaller and proportionally more thickset than the other two Egret species, I immediately thought Cattle Egret, and indeed it was.  Although an exciting find on my patch I was not too surprised as I thought the day would come when the species would visit.  The smallest of all three Egret species, this Cattle Egret had a stocky build with a short, strong looking bill (quite unlike the dagger-like bill of Cattle Egret) and a noticeable jowl.  I noticed that the Cattle Egret would wander through grassland more so than the other two Egret species.

Two Little Egrets, Great White Egret and Cattle Egret at Bodney

Cattle Egret at Bodney 21 April

Cattle Egret at Bodney 21 April

24 April

A forest clearing near Hockham held 2 Tree Pipits with both birds singing and launching their display flights from isolated trees within the clearing.  Also present in the same clearing was evidence of successful breeding by Stonechats when a pair was seen with at least 4 young birds. 

27 April

Golden Pheasants appeared to have become extinct in the local area, long gone are the days when I could see 25+ in Wayland Wood.  Another exotic, very large Pheasant is the Reeve's Pheasant, a beautiful male was seen near Great Cressingham.  Reeve's Pheasant is much larger than the more familiar Pheasant, it is stocky in build with a thick neck.  I have read that this bird can be aggressive towards humans.

Reeve's Pheasant (male)

A check of a flooded meadow at Bodney produced a single Whimbrel, this bird was initially seen roosting by the water but later started feeding in a nearby field.  A Curlew was seen to chase the Whimbrel on a couple of occasions, it was then that the obvious size difference was easily seen.  The striped head pattern was seen well and the bird called once whilst being chased by a Curlew.