Norfolk Bird Race 2 January 2000
by Gordon Hamlett
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PBC Bird Race Report Norfolk Bird Race 2 January 2000 by Gordon Hamlett |
Mike Williams and I started off at daybreak for our now traditional dip of Golden Pheasant at Wolferton. A quick look at Hunstanton produced a few waders but not the hoped for Purple Sandpiper though a Fulmar stooged past, something we were not confident of catching up with later on.
On to Holkham Hall, only ten minutes late to find precisely nobody. Into the park to collect a good range of woodland species and we eventually found Mac and Lynn Bell. Someone had found a Mediterranean Gull on the lake and we eventually picked it out from the 100's of Black-headed Gulls. The two Tawny Owls were in their traditional cedar tree by the monument and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker flew over. There were several Bramblings in with a Chaffinch flock though we managed some silly misses including Long-tailed Tit and Jay - something of a bogey bird for me as I missed it on the bird race back in May.
On to Lady Anne's Drive where a friend had just found a Waxwing - a definite bonus bird. On to the beach where there were superb flocks of Shore Larks, Twite and Snow Buntings. Back to the car and we eventually catch up with Chris, Ruby and Janet - who had done well to find a Glaucous Gull - and Trev, Dan, Bob and Roger who, much to our chagrin had just refound the Waxwing in a bush just in front of them.
On to Burnham Norton where a Barn Owl was hunting. Trev found a Stonechat but it flew before the rest of us got on to it. We're not bitter though and there were absolutely no accusations of him deliberately flushing the bird! Unbelievably at 2.30 p.m., all teams still needed the Greenfinch we found for their lists.
We finished the day at Titchwell and added a host of good birds - Water Rail, Hen Harrier, Spotted Redshank, Purple Sandpiper, Black-throated Diver, Slavonian Grebe, Little Egret and finishing off with a Woodcock.
A good day with the final total a creditable 96 but this was a slightly disappointing total in view of a long list of birds that we really should have seen.
| Wolferton | |||
| Pheasant | Robin | Blackbird | Goldcrest |
| Coal Tit | Sparrowhawk | Pinkfeet | Kestrel |
| Hunstanton | |||
| Starling | Black-headed Gull | Woodpigeon | Collared Dove |
| Herring Gull | Magpie | Brent Goose | Dunlin |
| Knot | Ringed Plover | Grey Plover | Oystercatcher |
| Redshank | Pied Wagtail | Common Gull | Fulmar |
| Feral Pigeon | |||
| Thornham | |||
| Redwing | Stock Dove | ||
| Burnham Overy | |||
| Mute Swan | Lapwing | Red-legged Partridge | House Sparrow |
| Holkham Hall | |||
| Great Tit | Jackdaw | Blue Tit | Great Spotted Woodpecker |
| Mistle Thrush | Treecreeper | Wren | Nuthatch |
| Marsh Tit | Greylag | Coot | Mallard |
| Tufted Duck | Goldeneye | Egyptian Goose | Cormorant |
| Carrion Crow | Gadwall | Mediterranean Gull | Lesser Black-backed Gull |
| Moorhen | Wigeon | Tawny Owl | Brambling |
| Green Woodpecker | Lesser Spotted Woodpecker | Goldfinch | |
| Lady Anne's Drive | |||
| Shelduck | Meadow Pipit | Skylark | Song Thrush |
| Waxwing | Shore Lark | Snow Bunting | Twite |
| Fieldfare | White-fronted Goose | Grey Heron | |
| Burnham Norton | |||
| Barn Owl | Canada Goose | Greenfinch | |
| Titchwell | |||
| Dunnock | Water Rail | Curlew | Hen Harrier |
| Snipe | Teal | Shoveler | Pochard |
| Golden Plover | Spotted Redshank | Little Grebe | Purple Sandpiper |
| Turnstone | Black-throated Diver | Sanderling | Great Black-backed Gull |
| Ruff | Great Crested Grebe | Common Scoter | Slavonian Grebe |
| Red-breasted Merganser | Little Egret | Woodcock |
