The early birder catches the bird in Norfolk!
Handsome male Red-crested Pochard
Early morning is definitely the best time of day to be out in the field and our pre-breakfast birdwatching walks at RSPB Titchwell nature reserve on the North Norfolk coast yesterday and today have certainly proven the point. With the reserve pretty much to ourselves, it’s always exciting to walk out towards the lagoons to see what we can discover. The answer: hundreds of birds!
Little Ringed Plover
Just [b]some[/b] of our early morning encounters included:
[list]
[*]Three Barn Owls hunting over the fields next to the reserve
[*]Juvenile Tawny Owl being mobbed at its secluded perch amongst the trees
[*]Juvenile Bearded Tits perching up on top of a reed giving wonderful scope views – unheard of!
[*]Hobby flying right over our heads as we walked along the main path, an unusual sighting here
[*]Marsh Harriers hunting over the reedbeds
[*]Common Pochard and Red-crested Pochard adults and chicks in the channel
Back from the beach at RSPB Titchwell
[*]Little Gulls flying around and bathing on the freshmarsh, great to see
[*]A Ruff in breeding plumage complete with impressive ginger ruff
[*]Both Black- and Bar-tailed Godwits, some in breeding plumage
[*]Little Ringed Plovers pottering on the exposed mud of the freshwater lagoon
[*]Two Spotted Redshank in smart breeding plumage in the freshwater lagoon, a wonderful sight in their lovely black spotted plumage
[*]A male and a female Garganey loafing on the exposed mud of the freshwater lagoon – great find by Alan!
[*]Avocets all over the place!
[*]Little Terns fishing just offshore while a pair mated on the beach, love these pocket-sized terns
[*]Sanderling in breeding plumage scurrying along the strandline, so smart to see
[*]A surprise Eider resting on the beach amongst the Cormorants
[*]Yellow Wagtail chasing insects in the grass right outside the window as we finally sat down to eat a well-earned breakfast at our lovely hotel, great spot by Helen![/list]
Garganey doing what they do best: loafing!
Do you get the idea?
In all, we recorded an impressive [b]79[/b] species yesterday morning before breakfast and topped it today with [b]80[/b] species this morning, so it is true, the early birder really does get their bird!
Plenty more exciting birds to come during our Birdwatching Trip on the North Norfolk coast so do check back for more bird blogs to come.
If you’d like to join us for lots of great birds, please email us on
We look forward to hearing from you!