One of the great delights of winter on the north Norfolk coast is the seemingly constant presence of Dark-bellied Brent Geese ... those chortling calls as they feed on the saltmarshes and move to and fro along the marshes ... keeping quiet moments interesting during a seawatch as they fly over the surf this way and that ...
... a crisp juvenile at the front with adults following ...
Holkham Fresh Marsh had several Marsh Harriers and a smart first-winter female Hen Harrier foraging low over the fields ... a wider scan of the area revealed four Great White Egrets and six Cattle Egrets - how unimaginable that would have been a couple of decades ago ! A flock of 100+ Common Scoters were on the sea there along with a single Great Crested Grebe and a few Red-throated Divers ...
A walk from Morston towards Stiffkey Fen produced an incredibly pale winter plumage Spotted Redshank which was frustratingly flushed by a dog just as I was setting up to phonescope it ... I think the Australians are getting it right by banning dogs from beaches ... four adult Ruffs were nearby on the fen and a late Wheatear turned up ...
Sheringham was a new seawatching venue for me and following advice I turned up fairly early only to find myself the only participant ... a few more arrived later ... soon an adult pale phase Pomarine Skua headed west in banking arcing flight ... Gannets were all over along with passing Common Scoters, Eiders and mixed groups of Wigeon and Teal ... and then an adult pale phase Arctic Skua was there harrying a gull in dogfight style before winging away east ... and another adult pale Pom. flew east in low level flight. This was good stuff with a supporting cast of Guillemots, Razorbills and multiple Red-throated Divers.
That same afternoon I walked the East Bank at Cley and the temptation to have another session of seawatching was richly rewarded by a juvenile Long-tailed Skua that flew east very low over the waves ... a presumably new-in Redwing foraged on the shingle bank ...
... on Arnold's Marsh a few gulls loafed ... among these was an argentatus Herring Gull ...
Then to Titchwell and rain ! Another Great White Egret flew over and a Spotted Redshank announced its presence with that characteristic call as it flashed by low overhead ... Cetti's Warblers sang and Bearded Tits pinged away before one perched up in view ...
... the pools were quiet save for a few Avocets and a lone adult Yellow-legged Gull ...
On the coastguards road a wagtail foraged on wet ground ...
... a White Wagtail surely with that pale mantle ... but those flanks were worryingly tainted with grey ... and those wingbars were a bit bold ...
... then it flew ...
... and the black rump said it all ... just a confusingly pale Pied Wagtail ... an educational experience ...
A final visit to Holkham Pines was rewarded by some nice views of a Barred Warbler that had frustrated earlier ...
