Houghton and Watton Brook Valley

A distinctly autumnal feel at dawn today with a low of 6 degrees Celsius.  The day started bright and dry with mist hanging over low lying areas.  Pleasantly warm by the afternoon with a high of 21 degrees and a light to moderate south-westerly.

Houghton 0630-0800
A visit to Houghton this morning proved interesting with evidence of some early autumn Thrush movements.

1 Swallow south
Meadow Pipit - a very light overhead southerly passage
5 Skylarks south
1 Mistle Thrush
6+ Song Thrush (Inc. 3 arrivals from north)
Blackbirds
Chiffchaffs
Blackcap female eating Elderberries
Whitethroat
20+ Yellowhammers
15+ Chaffinches

Arrival of migrant Song Thrushes 
A spot check on the common produced lots of different bird species on the move, some undoubtedly were local movements as with the Finches and Buntings, however, of particular interest was 3+ Song Thrushes arriving from the north and then descending fast into the cover of hedgerow.  These Song Thrushes were undoubtedly continental birds which have abandoned their Scandinavian breeding grounds to winter in Britain or the Iberian Peninsula.  These must be some of the first migrant Song Thrushes to arrive in Norfolk this autumn.

Watton Brook Valley
A visit to a small section of the valley this afternoon produced 3 Stonechats, 2 Red Kites (pair), and 3 Buzzards.

Muntjac Deer at Houghton 23 Sept. '16.  A common and widespread deer throughout Norfolk