2 September 2025 - The Watton Brook Valley at Saham.

 Most of my local birding occurs on a large farming estate, much of which lies within the army training area known as STANTA (Stanford Army Training Area), this unique area of the country includes true Breckland landscapes of heath, grassland, light sandy soils, meandering river valleys, and of course, big skies. This mornings birding was on a marsh and grazing meadows with ditches, a herbage filled Watton Brook, and a long unbroken hedgerow comprising a variety of bushes in heavy fruit.

I arrived at my destination just a mile from home and an initial scan of a long hedgerow with an adjoining game strip saw a flock of 70+ Linnets wandering these habitats and a check of a ditch produced a single Stonechat.  As I walked through a meadow, lots of cattle came up to me to have a check of this handsome stranger 😄, this would have been a good opportunity to see if the cattle had brought Yellow Wagtails with them, but none seen on this occasion.  A Hobby did overfly the marsh in a westerly heading.

Watton Brook at Saham. A great habitat in autumn for finding migrants.

A check of some Hawthorns and elder in the river valley produced just a single Whitethroat, however, a distant check of a broken hedgerow comprising much elder did see a very smart Lesser Whitethroat feeding upon berries.  A Chiffchaff was also present here as well as a mobile flock of Long-tailed and Blue Tits

My final part of this visit included the checking of a long hedgerow bearing much fruit and at least 3 Whitethroats were seen in Buckthorn.  Along the same hedgerow I detected movement, I soon found a migrant Sedge Warbler moving through thick cover, this bird remained hard to see although on one occasion I had a very brief glimpse of the very bold and striking creamy supercillium.  

Finally, a couple of Stonechats, one a juvenile, were seen in the hedgerow and nearby game strip.

 

A summary of highlights for August 2025

 August to November is arguably my best time of year for birding both on my Breckland patch and beyond, especially the North Norfolk Coast.  The following is a summary of local highlights on my patch and as you will see there was a good selection of migrants to report through the month.

Early in the month on the 2nd it was obvious that Swift numbers had dropped significantly.

A visit to Little Cressingham on the 4th saw a single overflying and calling Crossbill, a welcome record of a bird which has been scarce on the patch in recent years.  Also seen was a notable count of 50+ Stock Doves.

Late summer and autumn sees Houghton-on-the-Hill as one of favoured locations to visit for both resting migrants and visual migration and my first visit for this migration period on the 9th proved to be an excellent visit with a Pied Flycatcher in woodland around the churchyard.  Common migrants are well represented here and today I recorded 10+ Blackcaps, 10+ Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs, and 3 Lesser Whitethroats.  A single Raven passed over calling. 

A visit to a sewage treatments works on the nearby army training ground on the 10th produced one Reed Warbler, one Lesser Whitethroat, one Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, and 3 Blackcaps, all in a small area of Elder bushes where all species were seen to eat berries.

On the 12th I enjoyed a great field trip to Titchwell Marsh with my good friend Darren Cowles.  The first bird of the day was a calling male Tawny Owl in the car park area and although still dark we could see the calling Owl silhouetted in the trees. 

Highlights on the marsh included 40+ Ruff, 14 Spoonbills, an early morning westerly movement of Little Egrets, and a single Great White Egret on the marsh. A few single Sedge Warblers were in the reedbeds.

Dawn at Titchwell Marsh 12 August 2025 (Unedited picture)

It was my intention to check the overflow car park as our visit wound down, I was surprised to see that despite the numbers of cars in the normal car park, there were no birders checking the wonderful habitat for migrant Warblers.  A check of elder bushes in the overflow car park produced 6+ Blackcaps feeding upon berries, these were undoubtedly passage birds.

Blackcap in the overflow car park 12 August

A walk along the Watton Brook valley west of Hopton Bridge on the 13^th saw at least 12 Stonechats and at least 3 Whitethroats on fencing alongside the brook. A single Sedge Warbler in herbage in the brook was undoubtedly a migrant bird. Later in the garden a Green veined White butterfly was seen.

A visit to Houghton-on-the-Hill on the 14^th began with a walk around the churchyard at St. Mary’s where a single Lesser Whitethroat emerged from thick Ivy where it had probably roosted. Many Blackcaps and Whitethroats were in the hedgerow corridor east of the church. Back at the church a juvenile Goshawk soared low overhead. A Hummingbird Hawk Moth was feeding in Buddleia.

Juvenile Goshawk at Houghton 14 August 2025

A visit to Bodney on the 18^th produced one Yellow Wagtail in an Elder, a single Wheatear along the boundary ditch separating Bodney Slip from the wet meadow east of the STW, 100+ Swallows, one Chiffchaff, and at least 4 Stonechats. Late morning saw a ♀ Sparrowhawk low and fast through the garden.

A check of the skies on the 19^th saw no Swifts, clearly some will be about, however, the majority of birds have now departed.

A late afternoon visit to Seamere Marsh on the 20^th produced a movement of 40+ House Martins which included a single Swift. On the marsh a ♀ Marsh Harrier was seen flying into thick willow woodland possibly to roost.

A very productive and rewarding day on the 23^rd in the Watton Brook Valley west at Little Cressingham with many Stonechats seen, one Whitethroat, Chiffchaffs, a calling Raven, visible migration with an overhead Yellow Wagtail, many Blackcaps in Bodney Slip where also 4 Spotted Flycatchers were found with one individual being a leucistic bird.

A leucistic Spotted Flycatcher at Little Cressingham 23 August (One of 4 birds seen together)

A morning visit on the 24^th to a marsh and meadows in Watton Brook valley produced at least 4 Whitethroats and a single migrant Lesser Whitethroat. Sizeable Finch flocks seen with 70+ Linnets and 100+ Goldfinches noted. At least 5 Stonechats were seen.

Lesser Whitethroat 24 August 2025 (Such stunning Warblers)

An early evening visit to Seamere Marsh on the 25^th was fairly quiet with the highlight being a single Swift over Seamere with a number of House Martins.

On the morning of the 26^th I was working in Wymondham where very high overhead two Sparrowhawks were seen soaring.

I visited the Watton Brook valley at Bodney on the 27^th arriving pre-sunrise and remaining until about 0930. This was a very good visit with a ♀ Blackcap in an elder eating berries and 4+ Chiffchaffs present. Cattle were grazing the grassland alongside Watton Brook, I suspected Wagtails to be present and when checked, 4+ Yellow Wagtails were feeding around the cattle. Also present was 3 Stonechats on fencing and posts in the valley.

On the 28^th I visited Hockham Heath and was rewarded with 30+ Crossbills wandering the treetops, also, a very notable 30+ Chiffchaffs seen in the Hawthorn scrub where 6+ Blackcaps also seen. Three Spotted Flycatchers (singles) seen around the site with one in the very top of a tall Poplar, a recently arrived migrant perhaps. One Little Egret was seen and at least one Raven passed over the Cranberry Rough area calling. A walk through Rule’s Belt produced calling Marsh Tit.

A single Swift was seen over Hethersett on the 30^th. Later on Old Runway Lane at Deopham one Yellow Wagtail was found whilst scoping a muck heap, also present was 12+ Pied Wagtails around muck heaps.

Little Cressingham and Bodney 23 August 2025 (A morning of visible migration and an odd looking Spotted Flycatcher)

What a beautiful cool dawn with an autumnal feel to it.  I visited the Watton Brook valley to check for migrant birds and hopefully for evidence of visible migration.  My visit began with a calling Raven (unseen), however, the remarkable call is very distinctive.  Before proceeding I set up the scope in order to check what was ahead of me in the valley, as expected a number of Stonechats (eventually 10+ seen) were in the valley along with the odd Yellowhammer and Goldfinches. In a distant patch of bramble I could see Whitethroat and Chiffchaff where also 50+ Linnets wandered the area. One particular Linnet was scoped, this was a male bird with beautiful crimson breast markings.  A single restless Chiffchaff was flying up and down the valley before heading off south.

I could hear a Yellow Wagtail, this stunning bird alighted in the top of a tall Oak where calling continued for a few seconds, it then flew off south and I watched it until lost to view.....safe journey. 

Having been in open landscapes I decided next to walk the boundary of a mostly Scots Pine and Larch woodland where the peripheral understorey is rich in berry bearing bushes, especially Elder. A low fence around the boundary of the woodland held 4 Spotted Flycatchers, of these, a male bird was present and juvenile, but the main surprise was seeing that one of the Spotted Flycatchers was a leucistic individual with an all-white head, white underparts, and white in the wings.  All of the Spotted Flycatchers were engaged in typical fast sweeping flights to the ground where invertebrate prey was taken.

A leucistic Spotted Flycatcher at Little Cressingham 23 August 2025

A typically marked Spotted Flycatcher at Little Cressingham 23 August 2025

As well as watching the stunning Spotted Flycatchers, the woodland boundary also held 10+ Blackcaps, all of which were in Elders feeding upon berries.  One Elder bush held at least 5 Blackcaps.  Also noted was Chiffchaff, calling Treecreeper, Nuthatch, and Tit species including Coal Tit.

Titchwell Marsh 12 August 2025 (0440-1030) with Darren Cowles.

 At 0300 on Tuesday 12 August I was picked up by my dear friend Darren Cowles for visit to Titchwell Marsh on the beautiful North Norfolk Coast.  Our journey to Titchwell slightly longer than expected due to a couple of road closures on route.  Our detour had its benefits when we saw a beautiful Barn Owl fly over the road at Holme Hale. 

0440 We arrived at Titchwell in calm and warm conditions and despite a few light spits of rain the day eventually became very warm and sunny on the coast but later, inland, the temperature exceeded 30 degrees Celsius. The wind was a moderate easterly.

Birding essentially began straight away with a male Tawny Owl calling in trees in the car park area, the bird flew directly over us and into a Willow wood and then back again right above me.  I eventually located the Tawny Owl visually in some branches where it continued to call and despite the low light Darren and I had reasonably good views mostly of the silhouetted bird.  A Song Thrush was alarm calling, probably in response to the Owl.  As we made our way through the woodland Darren saw a second Tawny Owl fly in front of us, this was also a male bird with a not so well refined call, perhaps this was a juvenile bird.

Titchwell Marsh 12 August 2025. The stunning view which greeted us at dawn (unedited) 

Darren and myself ten set off along the path towards the beach, stopping off at the two hides to enjoy the views over the freshwater lagoons.  We were without doubt struck by the stunning sunrise which gave a pinkish hue in the sky which in turn reflected off the lagoon.

Gull on the freshwater lagoon made their presence known with a cacophony of calls whilst overhead several small flocks of Little Egrets headed west.  Common Terns are beautiful, delicate appearing, and very far travelled birds, these were numerous at Titchwell and often made flights off shore to gather fish for their young, a few which were seen on the freshwater lagoon.  A visit to Island hide gave us the opportunity to have close views of several Ruff and Black-tailed Godwits whilst at distance at the far side of the lagoon Darren saw 14 Spoonbills.  Without doubt, the noisiest birds were the three-figure numbers of Greylag Geese on the freshwater lagoon which let us know when they were departing inland.

Ruff feeding in the freshwater lagoon at dawn

 

Ruff on the freshwater lagoon showing one of the variations in plumages

Overlooking the marsh and lagoons from the path saw an interesting selection of birds including Ruff, Lapwing, Avocets, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, and of course, noisy Redshanks.  Wildfowl seen included Mallard, Gadwall, Shelduck, and Teal.  Turning to look over Thornham Marsh we saw two Chinese Water Deer.

Walking along the path towards Parrinder hide a couple of Meadow Pipits shuffled along on the ground ahead of us, this species breeds on Thornham Marsh, their numbers increase with winter visitors which arrive late summer and autumn.

Meadow Pipit at Titchwell 12 August 2025

A visit to Parrinder hide was productive, especially so with the rising sun more or less behind us. From here further sighting of Gulls and wader species were had and distantly, a single Great White Egret flew onto the marsh.  Passerine species in the hide area included two or three Reed Buntings and a single Sedge Warbler moving about in reeds.  A single Grey Heron walked stealthily on the muddy fringes of the lagoon.  A Greenshank was heard.

Having left Parrinder hide Darren and I walked north towards the beach, a small isolated stand of Elder and Bramble looked good for migrants, however, only a single Reed Bunting was seen.  A brief look over the beach and sea saw a few Sanderlings running along the shoreline.

Having checked the beach Darren and I walked south along the path in order to explore the fruit bearing bushes, reedbed willow scrub, and trees around the visitor centre, fen and meadow trail, and lastly, the overflow car park.  The willow scrub held a couple of singing Cetti's Warblers and deep within cover a Water Rail called.  We reached the beautiful viewing area overlooking a large area of water and reedbed, here, at least 4 Pochard, Coot, and Little Grebe were on the water.  Darren and I were sitting quietly overlooking the site when I said "Look, Bittern" at the edge of the reedbed, I was initially quite excited at this sighting, however, it soon transpired that my Bittern was an old bird table hidden in the reeds doing its best to fool me DOH!!!!

Making our way back to the visitor centre, we sat for a while watching the feeders and had great views of Blue, Great, and Coal Tits, as well as a couple of juvenile Moorhens and a very bold Muntjac.

Blackcap at Titchwell (overflow car park) 12 August 2025

Darren and I finally decided to explore the overflow car park for migrant birds, the wealth of habitat here lends itself to passage visitors wanting to feed for migration. Our waiting paid off when looking into tangled habitat including Elder, here at least 6 Blackcaps were seen, a mixture of male and female birds which fed upon Elderberries (including the above female Blackcap in Elder), also Tit species, Treecreeper, one Collared Dove, Chaffinch, and Dunnock seen in this area.

This was a fantastic visit to Titchwell Marsh with my dear friend Darren Cowles, and I thank you Darren for taking me to this wonderful location.   
 
  

Houghton-on-the-Hill 9 August 2025

 August through to November is my favourite time of the year for birding. In late summer the first departing summer migrants are on the move, and as August progresses migration picks up apace and then we enter September, the most pivotal month for bird migration with masses of departing summer migrants meeting the first incoming winter visitors from Scandinavia and Northern Europe.

9 August

I made my way to Houghton-on-the-Hill early morning, this is my favoured destination in late summer and autumn, its elevation allows for good visual migration as well as undoubtedly acting as a focal marker for migrating birds, its prominent hedgerows, natural spring, and possibly man-made features such as the ancient St Mary's Church have probably been used by migrating birds for millennia.

Whilst walking the hedgerows here I noted how heavy the Elderberry crop is this year, this soft fruit is very much favoured by migrating Warblers.

This was first visit to Houghton for this late summers/autumn migration and it was productive, my estimated counts were as follows:-

15+ Chiffchaff

10+ Blackcap

10+ Whitethroat

3 Lesser Whitethroat

1 Pied Flycatcher

Chiffchaffs were the first birds heard on this visit with lots of  "seeo" and "see" calls heard with some seen feeding upon Elderberries.

Several Whitethroats were both seen and heard, most of which were juvenile birds, and again, seen taking Elderberries.

Many Blackcaps were both seen and heard, of these, one was certainly a juvenile male, also adult males and at least 4 females seen with scoped views showing these as pristine birds.  Elderberries were eaten.

Blackcap (Juvenile)

At least 3 Lesser Whitethroats were seen in hedgerow habitats, for me these are incredibly smart looking birds in late summer/autumn, one such Lesser Whitethroat was scoped feeding upon Elderberries, this immaculate looking bird was very conspicuous with its dark grey head and strongly contrasting white throat and underparts.

Whilst watching these Warblers a distant Raven was calling, eventually, this bird passed low overhead in a southerly direction.

Approaching the church a flash of white passed before me, the bird alighted in a tree for a few seconds but long enough to see this was an exquisite Pied Flycatcher. 

Common species seen included 50+ Linnet, Song thrush, one Bullfinch, Goldfinch, and at least 2 singing Stock Doves.

Western Conifer Seed Bug in our Watton garden 3 August 2025

During the afternoon of 3 August I saw a large bug on the floor of our conservatory, it was a species quite unfamiliar to me, I firstly thought it was a species of Longhorn Beetle.  From the tip of its abdomen to the end of its antenna it measured around 3/4 inch in length.  This beautiful bug is a Western Conifer Seed Bug, a North American species which was first recorded in Europe (Italy) in the late 1990's, it was first recorded in Britain in 2007.

The following are a couple of picture of the Western Conifer Seed Bug, firstly in our conservatory and then after I relocated it into the garden.

Western Conifer Seed Bug in our conservatory 3 August

Western Conifer Seed Bug 3 August 2025 (safely relocated)

East Wretham Heath 30 July 2025 (0725-1000)

Lakes, meres and muck heaps are habitats I like to visit at this time of year for signs of wader passage, with this in mind this morning I chose East Wretham Heath where the largest area of water known as Langmere is a reliable location for passage waders.

I arrived at the car park at 0725 and immediately recorded juvenile Coal Tits, singing Blackcap, one Whitethroat, juvenile Blue Tits, Chiffchaff, Chaffinches, and one Kestrel in the many old Hawthorns here. A Hummingbird Hawk Moth was feeding around a buddleia.  

I headed off for Langmere with passage waders in mind, Wood Sandpiper perhaps or Greenshank maybe? An initial overview of the water saw 200+ Lapwings around the fringes of the mere and a single Little Egret probing in the shallows.  Typically, many Little Grebes (20+) seen and heard on the water along with many Coot too.  A pair of Egyptian Geese were present with 3 half-grown young.

Having repositioned myself for better views of the mere I could see that the Lapwings were a mixture of both adult and juvenile birds.

A scan of the far fringes of the mere paid off with a single juvenile Greenshank found probing the wet muddy fringes of the mere as well as wading in the shallows in its search for invertebrate food.  After a long wait the Greenshank eventually made its way to the nearside fringes of the mere with occasional stops for preening.

Greenshank (juvenile) on Wretham Heath 30 July 2025

This beautiful Greenshank offered great views as it walked and ran the margins of the mere, occasionally, it was chased off by Lapwings, it was then that the white rump extending up the back was revealed.  Another notable feature of this bird is the slightly upturned bill, this is probably accentuated by the lower mandible curving up towards the tip.

Greenshank 30 July 2025.  Note the distinctive white wedge running up the birds rump and back.

  

Lapwing (juvenile) at Wretham 30 July 2025

Probably in excess of 220 Lapwings were present around the mere including juvenile birds (see above), this birds exhibits typical juvenile appearance which includes the short crest and the buff fringes to the dark wing feathers.  A very beautiful bird.