Little Cressingham (Watton Brook Valley) 20 September 2026

A bright morning with a light to moderate westerly wind, occasionally fresh in strength.  An early morning visit to private land alongside the Watton Brook valley and adjacent grassland currently grazed by cattle.

My visit was aimed at finding migrants, and what was particularly evident was a constant passage of Hirundine species, especially later on the visit when I had a static vismigging (Visual Migration) session.

Upon my arrival, an initial check of my surroundings produced 2 Mistle Thrushes high in a dead Oak and below these in a farmland boundary hedgerow two Stonechats were present.   One Buzzard was also seen close by in the valley.

As I set off west along the valley I paused to check the grassland for migrants, however, nothing was seen.  As I walked west I was aware of a movement of Swallows and the odd House Martin, it was then that a Hobby appeared directly above me where it soared for a while, the Hirundines were undoubtedly aware of this falcon as these were potential prey.  Checking the fence and fence-posts ahead of me I saw a further 3+ Stonechats and at least 3 Meadow Pipits (passage migrant and winter visitor).  A further scan of grassland ahead of me saw 3 Mistle Thrushes, two of which may have been the birds I saw upon my arrival.

An area of disturbed ground, caused by trampling cattle at a hay-feed, saw a single Grey Wagtail which was attracted to the ground for invertebrate food.  It is at such habitats at this time of year to check for Yellow Wagtails and Meadow Pipits.

Grey Wagtail at Bodney 20 September 2026

Hirundine Passage (Static vismigging)

Having noticed earlier on during my visit a movement of Swallows and House Martins moving through, I decided to stand and watch for evidence of passage by these species.  For a period of 20 minutes or so I watched as a light but constant passage of both Swallows and House Martins moved west along the valley, I also checked the distant east along the valley through binoculars and I could see more Swallows and House Martins approaching and eventually passing me in a westerly heading.  These Hirundines were forced low close to the ground due to the wind strength, they follow rivers with their destination being 'The Wash' from where they follow river systems south before leaving Britain.  Migration is fascinating, especially when you witness it happening.
 

From my archives. Honey Buzzard over Watton 17 September 2012 (A new garden record)

17 September 2012 (Watton, Norfolk)

Throughout the morning of 17 September 2012, I made frequent visits to the garden to check for overflying migrant birds.  It was a warm and settled day, perfect for raptor passage.

At 1345, I was about to pack up when a large, unusual looking bird of prey appeared in the north-west.  Immediately, I knew this was something different by the birds appearance. 
I raised the camera and started shooting, I could see through the lens that this was in fact a Honey Buzzard, later examination of the photograph showed this to be a dark-phase juvenile bird.

Honey Buzzard (dark-phase juvenile bird) passing over the garden 17 September 2012.

Honey Buzzard over Watton 17 September 2012

A number of features of this bird separates it from Common Buzzard, this shot shows the yellow bill base, solid brown underparts, paddle-like tail, extensive black 'hands' and obvious head projection.

This Honey Buzzard was initially seen approaching from the north-west, I could not believe my luck when the raptor turned slightly and passed directly over the garden, I then continued to watch it as it headed off south.  What a great garden record.

Bodney Camp and Watton 14 September 2026

There had been rain in the night but the morning dawned sunny with a light WSW wind.  The day began with a migrant Chiffchaff in the garden.

Bodney Camp (STW) 0705-0845

The wind has been for some time come from the South-West, West, and North-west, and at the time of writing there seems to be no change in this wind direction for the foreseeable future.  Winds from the North-east and East are more favourable for migrant birds at this time of year, so hopefully a change will come later in the month and especially into October when the first winter Thrushes and Finches are on the move.

My visit to Bodney STW on 14 September was productive despite the wind direction with a few Chiffchaffs present, mostly in Elder bushes, and overhead, the best single count of 15+ Swallows headed south.

Two Grey Wagtails were within the STW complex, along with other common species including 2 Stonechats (female eating elderberry), two Coal Tits, two Great Tits, and Linnet.  As I was leaving two Ravens flew low overhead in a SW heading and calling.

Ravens. This impressive Crow is being seen more frequently in Breckland

Thompson Wood 0905-1000

The most obvious species seen on this visit was Swallow (100+) high and low over grassland, also, 3 Meadow Pipits were my first autumn arrivals of the year.  The best single count of 30+ Skylarks was noted, and in a weed-filled Pingo a single female Reed Bunting was present giving her "tsu" call.  

Watton 1325

I was working in a friends garden when I thought I heard a very distant Raven calling, I listened carefully and grew more confident of the birds identity, after a short wait 3 Ravens were seen together approaching from the Merton area and headed off over Watton in a NE heading whilst continuing to give their wonderful call.

 

Watton/Saham (Private land immediately west of Watton and north of the B1108 road) 11 September 2026 - 0645-0930

With the wind continuing from the west, I chose to walk alongside the sheltered east facing hedgerow which lies south to north through large meadows, with the purpose of finding migrant species which hopefully should be resting and feeding in this long unbroken hedgerow.  The habitat comprises Hawthorn hedgerow with a mixture of Elder, Buckthorn, Blackthorn, Dog Rose, and Bramble.

Blackcap in typical habitat ia autumn where they feast on soft fruits for energy for their journey south. 

I walked the full length of this hedgerow waiting and searching for migratory birds, and with the land immediately adjacent to the west side of the hedgerow being a large area of game cover, the first birds seen were Finches and Buntings which will have good feeding here.  30+ Linnets, 4+ Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers, Greenfinches, and Goldfinch, were all present and as autumn progresses into winter, the flocks of both Finches and Buntings should increase in number. 

My search for migrants eventually paid off with at least 3 Blackcaps present including a male in Buckthorn habitat, also noted was at least two Whitethroats, one of which was a juvenile bird.

In addition to the migrants seen a couple of Snipe were seen on a wet meadow, both birds flew up to relocate on nearby marsh habitat.

Houghton 9 September 2026 (0645-1030)

A bright, cool start to the day with a light to moderate WNW wind eventually NW. It remained dry and later quite warm.

A few migrant Warblers were found with the best observations coming from the sheltered and warm east facing hedgerow.

Upon my arrival a female Kestrel was on the tower of St. Mary's where she was calling, also here was a few Jackdaws.  The sheltered east facing woodland boundary of the churchyard held a mobile flock of Long-tailed Tits along with Blue and Great Tits too.

A gathering of 10 Stock Doves were on overhead wires whilst the same area held a wandering flock of 50+ Linnets.

Blackcap (feamle) at Houghton 9 September. In typical autumn habitat of Elder.

Once I reached the sheltered east facing hedgerow on Houghton Common I decided to watch this habitat carefully in the knowledge that birds would benefit from being out of the wind.  This long and continuous hedgerow is laden with mixed fruits including elderberry, Dog Rose, Hawthorn, and Buckthorn, and it was in this habitat I found 7+ Chiffchaffs (including a singing bird) and another feeding upon elderberries.  At least 8 Blackcaps were seen, again attracted to elderberries where a female bird was taking fruit.  Also seen was a single juvenile Whitethroat, again in elder.

My return walk was productive with at least 10 Grey Partridges seen in stubble.

Hever Castle, Kent. 6 September 2026

My wife Pam has a great interest in history, especially the history of the Tudor times, and one of her ambitions was to visit Hever Castle in Kent, the childhood home of Ann Boleyn.  We travelled from our home in Norfolk to our accommodation near Sevenoaks in Kent on 5 September, we stayed overnight in fairly basic accommodation, but that is all we required for our one night.  

On the morning of 6 September I drove the 15 miles or so to Hever, we arrived early as we wanted to look around St Peter's Church in Hever as well as a walk round the outside of the King Henry 8th pub, both of which are located close to the entrance of Hever Castle and its gardens.

Henry the V111 pub at Hever

St Peter's Church at Hever (Resting place of Thomas Boleyn, the father of Ann Boleyn)

 

Hever Castle (the beautiful gardens approaching the castle)

Here we are at Hever Castle

Hever Castle 6 September 2026

The beautiful lake at Hever Castle

Birds

Shortly following our arrival at the car park for Hever Castle I had a stroll round and located a calling juvenile Tawny Owl.  Also noted here was both Nuthatch and Robin.

Although our main focus was on visiting the castle and its magnificent gardens, our wanderings included the birds seen, and the various bodies of water, including the castle moat and the large lake saw Coot and Mallard being the most numerous of species.  Most Coot were adult birds with a few juveniles seen.

Coot at Hever Castle

The wonderful area of woodland, and indeed solitary trees within parkland, held Robins, Nuthatch, Green Woodpecker, and Goldcrest.  I noticed several Robins in the beautiful Italian themed gardens, the many cavities in the brick structures undoubtedly providing good breeding sites.

The large lake at Hever Castle saw 4 Great Crested Grebes (a pair with a single juvenile and a lone adult), also Black-headed Gulls and a single Little Egret was seen overflying. 

A walk through woodland to visit the ruins of Anne of Cleves Bower House produced a couple of Chiffchaffs.

Following our very memorable visit to Hever Castle Pam and myself rounded off the day with a lovely meal in the King Henry V111 pub, which along with nearby St Peter's Church, is part of the Hever Castle estate.  

We departed this beautiful part of Kent with a drive through some beautiful old villages and wonderful countryside before joining the main routes for our journey back to Norfolk.

Sparham (Churchyard and immediate surrounds) 1015-1115

Sparham Churchyard is a beautiful well wooded location which holds a range of species, mostly around the boundaries.  The southern boundary typically has some large, old Yew trees, the east boundary has a nettlebed, a dead tree,a plum tree, and a Japanese Mock Orange.  The northern boundary is particularly well wooded with Ash, two Hazel, 2 Field Maples, Hawthorn, Elder, Hawthorn, a large Cedar, Ivy, and Black Bryony.  The west boundary of the Churchyard has a few fruiting Rowans.  There is a small wildflower meadow.

1 Stock Dove singing

1 Green Woodpecker (heard)

8+ Blackbirds

1 Blackcap ♂ singing

Robin

Coal Tit

3+ Blue Tits

2+ Goldfinches (including a juvenile)

3 Swallows

Hardingham and Scoulton 2 September 2026

 I had a short work break between calls, I therefore visited Low Road in Hardingham (1810 to 1845) where I counted:-

26 Egyptian Geese (all S/E)

120+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls in stubble

28+ Stock Doves on wires

Carrion Crow

6+ Rook

1 Swallow (south) battling against the wind

Scoulton (Woodrising Road) 2145  

A beautiful Barn Owl was seen in car light in a hollow within a large roadside tree.

31 August 2026 at Thompson, Norfolk (with Sarah Harris, and 'Digger')

With the last day of the month upon us, my plan was to visit Thompson Wood for a search for migrant birds. I was not to be disappointed.  This was a sunny morning with increasing cloud. The wind was a light to moderate, occasionally fresh W to SW.

I messaged Sarah Harris (BB editor) and her gorgeous Border Collie 'Digger' and was later joined by her for a lovely walk and catch up.

Probably the most spectacular observation this morning was watching several hundred Hirundines gathering along wire fencing and hunting low over large weedy fields.  The majority species present was the House Martin with many Swallows too.  A single female Reed Bunting was seen.

I then walked alongside a long fence enclosing a very large weedy field, I was confident that I would find migrants here and a relatively short search revealed 5+ Whinchats either on the fence or on tops of tall weeds where they showed reasonably well.

Whinchat 31 August at Thompson. 

 

Whinchat 31 August 2026 (Note the bold pale supercillium)

The Whinchats seen today shared their surroundings with a number of Stonechats, it was therefore possible to see the difference between the two species.  Whinchats are paler birds with a strong pale supercillium, the tail pattern (as seen with a hovering bird) shows distinct white outer tail bases.

Also noted this morning was a single Whitethroat in a patch of scrub within grassland habitat.  

I later met up with Sarah Harris for our walk and catch up and although the high numbers of earlier Hirundines had moved on, more Swallows and House Martins arrived to fly low and close to the grasses and weeds.  

As we continued our walk Sarah saw a Goshawk flying left to right just above the treeline, it then dropped into the canopy when several Wood Pigeons scattered erratically.

It was a lovely walk with Sarah and it was good to see her again. Thank you Sarah.

And finally, as I was about to leave I met another friend, Jean Wagner, for a brief catch up.  Good to see you too Jean.

1 September 2026 (Observations from the garden)

September is the pivotal month for bird migration with birds leaving us and other species arriving later in the month from Northern Europe.  Although a fantastic month for witnessing bird migration, I have to say that October is without doubt the best month for this phenomena with autumn storms from the south-west seeing the arrival of birds from North America, whilst here in the east we can witness the spectacular arrival of thousands of winter Thrushes and Finches from Northern Europe along with scarce and rare passerines from Europe and Siberia.

1 September

The day began with a male Blackcap in our native hedgerow where it remained for much of the day, obviously a resting migrant bird which hopefully benefitted from the soft fruits in the hedge. Subsong was heard.  

The hedgerow also attracted a couple of Blackbirds which fed upon berries of the Dogwood bush whilst other common species noted included a number of House Sparrows.  A juvenile Collared Dove was being fed by a parent bird.

A female Sparrowhawk was seen on a couple of occasions overhead, the second occasion saw the raptor closing its wings and plummeting towards the ground.

Overhead movements included a light passage of House Martins and Swallows in a north-west heading, perhaps this was pre-migration reorienting behaviour. 

Lepidoptera species in the garden today included two Hummingbird Hawk Moths and a single Painted Lady butterfly.

Little Cressingham 27 August 2026

A dry start to the day but with heavy thundery showers predicted. Some heavy and prolonged showers arrived around midday and it was great to look out of the window and finally see some decent rainfall following the long very dry spells and many days of very high temperatures.

My day began with a visit to a nearby army camp where I had to go through my annual safety briefing and pass renewal for the training area, an efficient process.

Little Cressingham (Watton Brook Valley within the training area) 0810-0930.

I arrived at my destination with full cloud and a muggy feel, the wind was an easterly shifting to a light south-easterly.  The morning had a feel of migrants about it.

The first birds I noticed was a couple of Red Kites perched in a dead Oak, in the same tree two Great Spotted Woodpeckers, one of which was chiselling away at dead bark.  A Goshawk was heard calling. Several Stonechats (c.10) and Whitethroat along the valley sides. I also saw a very brief acrocephalus species dart into cover, I suspected Reed Warbler.   

Before proceeding along the valley I decided to scope rolling grassland and in doing so located 3 Northern Wheatear.  Even watching from distance these Wheatears were easily identified migrants, firstly, I checked areas of short grassland at this time of year knowing that this kind of habitat supports passage Wheatear, I saw a distant bird standing upright and still before running fast over the land, then the birds were seen to fly short distances and showed their very distinctive white rump which appears as an inverted T.  

As I slowly walked towards the grassland a Marsh Harrier approached from the west then headed south. 

Wheatear at Little Cressingham 27 August 2026 (one of 3 birds present)

Wheatears are birds of open country and although a few pairs breed in the Brecks the vast majority of birds seen are migrants passing through both in spring and again in autumn.  I encounter these delightful birds every year on the patch.

The Wheatears seen today were easily identified from range by their upright carriage, short, fast runs over the land, stopping and once again upright as it looks around, often these Wheatear chose the highest perch in the area, on fence posts on top of a hillock.  The Wheatear pictured here is a juvenile bird, the other two birds were either female, or again, juveniles.  As previously written the most distinctive feature of a flying Wheatear is the very conspicuous white rump in the form of an inverted T shape.

North Elmham Chapel 25 August 2026

During a short work break on 25 August I visited the beautiful ruins of North Elmham Chapel in Norfolk. My apologies for possibly not getting the information panels in the correct order. I hope you enjoy this little tour.

The approach to the chapel

St Mary's Church North Elmham

Little Cressingham (Watton Brook Valley) 18 August 2026

It has been a long time since we had any significant and meaningful rainfall here in the Brecks, therefore, could you imagine my absolute delight that at just after midnight on the 18 August when it began to rain steadily and continuously for around 3 hours, it was a wonderful sound listening to the rain beating down on the conservatory roof.

I had only a short time for birding this morning and I chose to walk along the Watton Brook valley off Great Cressingham Road for a migrant search. 

Firstly, a single Red Kite perched rather statesman-like on a dead branch high in an Oak and nearby on wires were perched 5 Stock Doves.  Before entering the area of grassland an initial scan saw 25 Lapwings on the hard, dry land.

I walked along the valley through lots of grazing cattle which were being fed on a good supply of supplementary food as the usual lush grassland is looking more like a desert due to the current drought conditions.  I noted that 6 Pied Wagtails were feeding around the cattle. 

The lush green habitat alongside Watton Brook separates this feature from what otherwise appears as an arid looking surrounding landscape, as expected, the valley produced most birds.  My quick visit along Watton Brook produced at least two Whitethroats, Wrens, Dunnock, several Goldfinches, Great Tit, and in excess of 10 Stonechats, of which most were juveniles. 50+ Swallows flew low up and down the valley in their search for food. 

Thompson Wood 17 August 2026

The vast open grassland with areas of broken hedgerows and scrub habitat was my intended destination at dawn on 17 August, and my reasons for covering the site this morning was to check for signs of migrant bird species.

My initial walk beside a long and well stocked hedgerow looked promising for migrant birds, especially given the fruit laden bushes within the hedgerow.  A couple of Robins were heard, then a single bird darted between cover, I managed a short view of the bird, a lovely juvenile Whitethroat.

A habitat I was particularly looking forward to visiting was a long broken hedgerow with lots of scrub growing between the breaks.  As I walked slowly along the hedge I detected movement and very soon after this I was rewarded with at least 3 Stonechats, 3+ Whitethroats, and a single Whinchat, all three species remained more or less together as they moved along the hedge and scrub. 

Whinchat

As I continued my walk I made my way to another area of hedgerow scrub, specifically bramble scrub, where I located at least a further 4 Whitethroats, a species I expected to see given the availability of fruit.

At least 3 Kestrels were seen together, a likely sign of local breeding success, the only other raptor species seen was Buzzard.

A few House Martins were seen distantly over houses in the village and at least 120 Swallows passed over.

A distant "korrp" call was heard, undoubtedly a Raven, the call was getting closer and then a single Raven passed over heading east.

As I approached the end of my walk a Little Owl was calling in a roadside Oak, this prompted a second Little Owl into calling in another roadside Oak.

Saham Toney (St. George's churchyard) 13 August 2026

The 13 August was dominated by a day of full sun and heat with a temperature high of 38°C (100° fahrenheit).  Very sadly, parts of Britain have been experiencing wildfires and there is still no sign of any significant rainfall.

Driving north through Saham Toney, the most dominant feature ahead of you is the tall tower of St. Georges church, and as you arrive it becomes clear that this is a large church which has some equally very large tree specimens, these include magnificent Cedar and Yew trees along the southern boundary of the churchyard and some impressive Beech trees along the eastern boundary.

St. George's Saham Toney (Magnificent Cedar and Yews flank the approach)

The Cedar which produced good numbers of Goldcrests 13 August

What a spread on this Cedar

Goldcrest in Saham Toney Churchyard 13 August 2026

Goldcrest in Saham Churchyard 13 August 2026 (at least 10 birds in the large Cedar)

This was a particularly productive visit for Goldcrests (10+) which were seen in the Cedar and Yews alongside the southern boundary of the churchyard, these birds were seen from eye level right into the canopy of the trees where they foraged amongst the needles.

Also seen in the largest Cedar was a couple of Coal Tits, Blue Tits, foraging Long-tailed Tits, Nuthatch, and a female Sparrowhawk passed through low then continued off beyond the churchyard.

Saham (Meadow and Marsh in the Watton Brook Valley in TF8900) 12 August 2026

 Today was to be sunn and hot again with wall to wall sunshine. The site visited early morning on 12 August is private land in the Watton Brook Valley close to the western limits of Watton. The habitat here comprises marsh and grazing meadow, a couple of good lengths of fruit bearing hedgerows, a large game strip, and Watton Brook.

12 August - searching for migrants

Can you tell who is the real me (Courtesey of my dear daughter)

Habitats visited was the Watton Brook valley where I expected acrocephalus Warblers, and a long and well-stocked hedgerow and game strip.

As I walked north along a scrub lined ditch I first of all saw a single male Stonechat on fencing and bushes and as I reached Watton Brook the dominant species was Goldfinch, but as I walked alongside the brook I could see something different on fencing which was perched alongside a Goldfinch, the Goldfinch had an upright posture, however, the other had a horizontal carriage, I had a pretty good idea what this bird was  and checking with optics it was indeed a migrant Reed Warbler, this bird was seen a few times on the fence but also went to cover in thick herbage and reeds. 

Watton Brook at Saham 12 August (check herbage and fences for migrant birds)

The above picture was looking west along Watton Brook, it was here where I saw a Goshawk circling low over trees and farmland, also, 3 Red Kites were seen.

My return walk took me along a long and well-stocked hedgerow and gamestrip where Linnets dominated.  Also here was another Stonechat and at least two Whitethroats, one of which was a juvenile bird which picked at a blackberry.  A bit further along the hedgerow a single Chiffchaff was present.
  

Bodney Camp and Watton Brook valley 8 August 2026

Not only do I have favoured sites to visit at this time of year, I also have specific habitats within those sites I like to watch. On the morning of 8 August I visited an area of rough grassland by Bodney camp which included Watton Brook and some old Elder bushes I always check for migrant birds, especially Warblers which feed on fruits in order to build energy for their passage south. 

The most obvious birds seen overhead at first was several House Martins and Swallows, with some House Martins feeding at a considerable height.

A large Hawthorn held a preening Chiffchaff whilst other presumed early migrants included a single Willow Warbler and a couple of Blackcaps, one of which was seen to pick at an elderberry. Later, a Willow Warbler, possibly the one I saw earlier flew off strongly and low to the south-west.

At least 3 Stonechats were present, the rough grassland habitat here provides a good habitat for invertebates which Stonechats hunt for.  The 3 Stonechats seen included a male, female, and a young juvenile bird, the female was watched flying to the ground where a small inverebrate was collected and fed to the juvenile bird.

Stonechat (female) at Bodney. This bird was seen to feed a juvenile.

 Also seen on this visit was many Goldfinches (adults and juveniles) which wandered the area feeding from thistles.  Also noted was a single Stock Dove, two Grey Herons, Coal Tit, an alarm calling Whitethroat, Robin, Wren (including juveniles), and Linnets.  Raptor species were represented by one Red Kite and two Buzzards.

Houghton-on-the-Hill 3 August 2026

August through to November is my favourite time of year for birding and Houghton-on-the-Hill is a place I love to visit most during this period to watch migratory birds, either as overhead raptor passage, or newly arrived passerines feeding in the well stocked hedgerows and woodland. Houghton is on an elevated ridge of land which has commanding views to both north and south, and with the beautiful St. Mary's Church, which has stood here for over 1000 years coupled with its elevation of the surrounding land, I am sure this has served as a focal point for migrant birds for millennia. 

1. St. Mary's Church at Houghton-on-the-Hill.

Next to the churchyard is the site of the former village of Houghton, nothing exists here now other than the impression of a road which passed between houses.  I made a point of checking here first for birds given the wealth of habitat here which mostly comprises Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Dog Rose, Elder, and Bramble, I looked intially at a large Hawthorn patch which has Elder and Dog Rose growing within and with the naked eye I spotted something bright white in the Hawthorn, I checked using optics and my suspicions were confirmed, this was a stunning Lesser Whitethroat, this beautiful Sylvia Warbler was seen to preen, also, it picked at blackberries.  Also present here was Treecreeper, Blackbird, a couple of Chiffchaffs, and a single Whitethroat. I would later return to check this site before leaving.

I then walked between the hedgerows east of the church, a habitat which has a wide variety of fruiting bushes which supports migrant Warblers as they stop to feed and rest at this staging post.  On morning visits I like to start at the far end of this hedgerow corridor as the sun is then directly behind me, therefore, the initial walk out on a particularly bright early morning requires one to use listening skills to identify birds by their calls.  This morning the outbound walk east through the hedgerow corridor produced a couple of alarm calling Blackcaps and Whitethroats.

2. Looking west along the hedgerow corridor towards the church.

Once at the eastern end of the hedgerow corridor the early morning light gives great views looking west, here it is possible to watch many birds, especially Warblers, either flying between the hedgerows of picking at fruit.

A slow walk back along the hedgerow corridor produced both Whitethroats and Blackcaps, and on the grass path, a Painted Lady and Small Heath butterflies were seen.

3. Small Heath butterfly at Houghton-on-the-Hill 3 August 2026 

Upon my arrival back at the church and former village site it was clear there was an increase in activity. A single Spotted Flycatcher flew onto an outer limb of a dead tree where it remained for a few minutes, such a scarce bird sadly now.

Also present was a single juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker which arrived to search the limbs of a dead tree.  You can see in photograph 5 the red cap which ages the bird as a juvenile, however, it is possible to see black feathers of the adult plumage beginning to show.

4. Spotted Flycatcher at Houghton 3 August 2026

5. Great Spotted Woodpecker (juvenile) at Houghton 3 August 2026

A final check of the site of the former village area, specifically, the largest patch of Hawthorn, produced 6+ Whitethroats, this was clearly a family party with adults feeding juvenile birds.  A nearby pond hosted Whitethroats, Blue Tits, and Great Tits where the birds visited to bathe.  A single Marsh Tit was also seen.  A single Red Kite drifted overhead and Raven was heard calling in the distance.

Seamere Marsh 2 August 2026 (1055-1155)

A late morning visit to Seamere Marsh where I overviewed from the Deopham road.  I arrived to the song of a Stock Dove, this was followed by 3 birds in flight.  Stock Doves are smaller than Wood Pigeons and have nicely proportioned appearance and lack any white in their plumage, they have beautiful grey upper wings with black tips and black trailing bar. 

A single Chiffchaff passed through a broken hedgerow calling as it went, and a single Swallow and 2 Swifts over.

I had prolonged views of a single Hobby overhead as it circled and made occasional short chases for winged insects which were caught and then consumed on the wing.  Other raptors included a single Kestrel, one Red Kite, and two Buzzards.  At least 3 calling Green Woodpeckers were heard.

A small flock of 9 Cormorants directly overhead climbed to a good height before descending towards Seamere.

Little Cressingham (Watton Brook) 30 July 2026

This mornings birding was on private land which lies within the army training area and my route took me along Watton Brook which runs between meadows and grassland on either side.

0710 As soon as I arrived I could see there was a wealth of activity in the immediate area, several Goldfinches were seen in the valley and in tall willows, at the same time a party of Long-tailed Tits moved along the valley, a few Whitethroats were present (including juveniles), two Carrion Crows were calling in the top of a tall dead Oak, and a Raven was heard briefly.  Looking further west along the valley using the scope I could see Stonechats and Wrens on fencing, and when I eventually reached the area, a number of juvenile Wrens were moving about waterside herbage where one bird reached for a small invertebrate.

It soon became apparent that there was several Stonechats in the valley with at least 6 being juveniles, these youngsters were readily identifiable by their spotted crowns and cream mottling on their mantles. Some young Stonechats had variable amounts of red appearing on the underparts.  

Stonechat

As I continued along the valley I was conscious of the possible early migratory, or post breeding dispersal, by acrocephalus Warblers.  It really didn't take long to hear a familiar, harsh "trrr" note coming from within cover on the river bank, this was a juvenile Reed Warbler, soon afterwards, a second Reed Warbler flew low over open country and onto fencing near where the first call was heard, very brief but lovely views of this smart bird.

A number of House Martins were watched circling above the valley and occasionally they would fly down to the water to drink.  Alarm calling House Martins alerted me to a possible raptor, Hobby maybe, this was shortly followed by movement heard out of sight in the river valley, careful inspection revealed a Sparrowhawk flying out of reeds with a small prey item.

Also of note in the valley area was a single Curlew striding over grassland, a pair of Yellowhammers, and a single Reed Bunting. 

Watton

Later in the morning I visited a friend in Watton, and in her garden I found this rather attractive Rufous Grasshopper.

Rufous Grasshopper in Watton 30 July 2026

Breckles 29 July 2026

Another hot day with a temperature high of 92° fahrenheit. We are now officially in drought conditions with a hosepipe ban in place and with no rain for the foreseeable future.  Everywhere is bone dry, grassed areas are yellow and the fire risk is extremely high.

This morning I visited private land in Breckles with specific habitat types targeted, these included mixed woodland and ground covering scrub.  Waterside willows held a number of Linnets chattering away, also, Whitethroats were noted with a frequent "churr" agitated note given.  I sat for some time looking into scrub and a couple of nearby tall Ash trees, where the latter held a constant coming and going of birds, these included one Great Spotted Woodpecker (red capped juvenile bird), Linnets, singing Greenfinch, one Nuthatch, Chiffchaff, 2+ Willow Warblers (song heard), Blackbird, Wren, Blackcap (giving alarm call), one juvenile Song Thrush, two Yellowhammer (including singing male), a foraging Marsh Tit, and at least 4 Siskins (including 2 juveniles).  Nearby Willows held an alarm calling Reed Warbler giving a repeated "trrt" note, I eventually managed to glimpse the bird in cover, this was a adult bird carrying food for young, which were also seen and appeared tail-less. 

Mimic Hornet Hoverfly at Breckles 29 July 2026 (The largest Hoverfly species in Europe).

This was also a very good morning for finding and watching insects, I concentrated my efforts in scrub habitat and was rewarded with watching 2 Mimic Hornet Hoverflies, this is the largest European Hoverfly species and has the appearance and behaviour of a Hornet.

Also seen was a wonderful male Clouded Yellow butterfly, he was an absolute beauty, two Painted Lady butterflies, Peacock, and Gatekeepers. Emperor dragonflies were also present and showing well.