The night was clear and starlit and as I readied myself for work I was greeted by a thin film of ice on the car windscreen. The air temperature was +4 degrees Celsius. The day dawned bright but as the morning wore on high cloud moved in giving milky skies, a very autumnal feel.
Hethersett and Great Melton
At just after 0900 I started my morning work-break and at the same time a flock of 50+ Redwings passed over Hethersett in a westerly heading. From here I moved onto Great Melton churchyard to survey bird numbers there.
Great Melton (Churchyard) 0920-1035
As soon as I arrived at the church I was greeted by several "tik" calls around me in the trees and woodland, these were continental Song Thrushes which had arrived during the night following their passage from Scandinavia. A number of Song Thrushes were seen, often entering the old Yew trees, where they would feed upon berries.
Throughout my visit varying numbers of Redwings passed overhead in a westerly heading, again, these were birds would have departed Northern Europe last night. The largest flock was 60+ birds with numbers totalling 200+ passing over.
Both Song Thrushes and Redwings breed in Scandinavia, however, this range is abandoned in the winter months for warmer areas, many will winter with us, although many will also migrate to as far as the Iberian Peninsula.
In addition to Thrush passage/arrivals, other species noted included 6 Jays, 6 Mistle Thrushes, Goldcrest (3), a pair of Marsh Tits, and I was getting ready to leave, a single House Martin overhead west.
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