Wildlife Photo Diaries 2025
Wildlife Diaries for Norfolk, the UK and Garden
March 2025
Lesser White-fronts, 'White birds' and Toads!
As usual the day (20th) with Jason began at Beach Road, Salthouse after seeing a couple of Common Buzzards en-route. Not too much here but a Red Kite and a handsome male Reed Bunting were noteworthy, although at the moment I am seeing male Reed Buntings in my garden!
Hearing that the Swedish introduced Lesser White-fronted Geese were visible from the middle hides at Cley, we headed there.
From the car park we saw a Spoonbill and 2 Great White Egrets fly over in an easterly direction before setting out for the hides. Sure enough ‘the 9’ (sounds like Lord of the Rings!) were there on the far bank and good to see too.
Another Great White Egret was seen as it flew up from the far reeds and waders here were several Ruffs, 40 plus Dunlin, Avocet and a drake Pintail.
On the walk back as we crossed the bridge over the dyke system we heard the sounds of amphibians. It took a little while before we got a fix on one of several Common Toads, but then we began to see more, including one or two that swam into the open; satisfying our photographic wants!
A few Brents were on the Eye Field, Cley but the sea off Coastguards was pretty non-eventful, as was a visit to Morston where 5-6 Redshanks and a Red Kite had to suffice.
Male Brimstone was seen on the way down to Wells Pools where there were 10 Ruff including a satellite male, 2 Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier and 6 Brown Hares.
Brancaster Staithe for lunch found a few waders with 2 Avocet, 2 Ringed Plover, and 3 Grey Plover, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, Turnstone and Curlew, Little Egret and a Spoonbill flew over.
A drive around ‘the block’ at Choosley set a new record for Chinese Water Deer with 11 seen. Several Brown Hares were here too, along with Red Kite, Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard and several Yellowhammers.
Another male Brimstone was recorded just before Burnham Norton and a Great White Egret was seen from the pull-in along the A149 at Burnham Overy.
4 Spoonbill were seen from the ‘gate’ at Holkham, ending an interesting day but with the Toads being the highlight.
Solitary Bees, Gamebirds, Reed Bunting population rises in the second half of March in the Wildlife Garden......
The second half of March began with a hen Pheasant in the garden (15th), whilst the cock bird stayed outside. A male Reed Bunting was seen the following day (16th).
3 Male Reed Buntings were in the garden (17th), which was amazing to see but this number was increased (19th) when there were 4 male Reed Buntings together in the garden. A cock Pheasant was also present and the first male Anthophora plumipes Hairy footed Flower Bee and the first Andrena nigroaenea Buffish Mining Bee was seen, along with a Wren.
A male Reed Bunting was once again present (20th) along with 2 each of Blue and Great Tits; hopefully a good sign for nesting!
A Red-legged Partridge flew in onto the area of grass outside the back of the garden (21st), not a first but a seldom seen species here; unfortunately it didn’t follow the pair of Pheasants into the garden! A Great Tit was heard singing somewhere outside the garden and a male Reed Bunting was once again present. Sorting out my compost regime found a House Mouse in the compost bin and safely got out.
2 Male Reed Bunting were in the garden (22nd) but now territoriality had begun with one chasing off the other. A Wren was again present, as was Great Tit, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Blackbird, 3 Wood Pigeon and a Dunnock, whilst the cock Pheasant stayed at the back of the garden.
The cock Pheasant was giving chase to the hen bird in the garden (23rd) but the hen exited via the Hedgehog holes cut out in the garden gate! A Wren was seen along with 1-2 Great Tits and yet again the unprecedented presence of Reed Buntings adorned the garden with 3 males present, but one chasing the others off. The Anthophora plumipes males (4+) were busy around the mud brick, no doubt waiting for a female to emerge and exact mating. Buffish Mining Bees were also seen and a queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee was good to see in the garden.
The Reed Bunting presence continued (24th) with what looks like a female either adult or 1stW female new to the population and was soon joined by 2 males. Later 3 male Reed Bunting were present together before the territoriality began again, with one bird chased away but one seemingly tolerated! The pair of Pheasants was in the garden again and my purposely left stems of plants on the bark path were collected for nest material by a Wood Pigeon, which flew off with a beak-full.
Assassin in the garden, Pheasants and Reed Bunting numbers increase......
The first half of March had some interesting sightings in the garden, beginning with a male Reed Bunting (1st), when there was also a Robin, Dunnock, 5 Starling 3 Wood Pigeon and 2 Collared Dove.
A male Reed Bunting was again present 4th and 5th and again on the 8th. The 8th also saw a female Sparrowhawk present. After coming in from the garden; I was in the kitchen when I heard squealing noises coming from outside. On looking out of the kitchen window I saw a female Sparrowhawk just behind the iron border trim shielding a kill. Although I couldn’t actually see what the hawk had caught it was clear from the sounds it was a Starling. The Sparrowhawk began plucking the starling, which was still alive. One of nature’s more uncomfortable situations, but Sparrowhawks do not share human views of what is acceptable and what is not they have evolved to survive in what is a tough world!
After hearing a cock Pheasant somewhere outside the garden both a cock and a hen were actually in the garden, with the male taking a drink from the pond (11th).
Not one but two male Reed Buntings were together in the garden (13th) and a queen Bombus terrestris Buff-tailed Bumblebee was outside the lounge window.
Raptors and first Spring Butterflies......
4 Red Kite, male Stonechat and Curlews started the day (6th) along Beach Road, Salthouse with Jason Nichols.
Along Beach Road Cley; a Great White Egret was seen as it appeared along a distant dyke, but was later seen flying over west. A Marsh Harrier was also present and a return visit later found a female Stonechat and 800+ Brent Geese (see below).
A Greenshank was once again present at Morston Quay on a pool as the tide was high and a Red Kite flew over.
12+ Avocet were the highlight at Wells Pools and further along the road near Burnham Norton 5 Red Kite were together.
Lunch at Brancaster Staithe found a handful of waders: Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Curlew, Turnstone and Oystercatcher and a Marsh Harrier quartered the dunes.
The first butterfly of 2025 was seen when a male Brimstone was seen between Brancaster Staithe and Burnham Norton and another at Holkham, where the first Comma of the year was seen at the ‘gate’. 7 Spoonbills were also seen from here and further along 2 Barnacle Geese and a single Pink-footed Goose was seen; the only Pink-foot we saw all day.
A look for some reported Lesser White-fronted Geese at Cley drew a blank, but the day had been good for ‘large’ raptors with Common Buzzards, Red Kites and Marsh Harriers frequently seen en-route as were Bumblebees; probably Buff-tailed.
February 2025
February in the garden
During the month, which was mainly pretty cold several species of birds visited the garden. They were: Collared Dove, Wood Pigeon (up to 4), Jackdaw, Blackbird, Robin, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Blue Tit, 2 Great Tit and a Wren was seen three days running looking for food in the foliage.
An immature male Reed Bunting was once again in the garden (24th) and again the following day (25th), when a Wren, 2 Great Tit, Blue Tit, Blackbird, 3 Starling, Robin, 2 Collared Dove and 2 Wood Pigeon were also garden visitors.
The immature male Reed Bunting appeared in the garden once again (26th) when it fed from a seed tray, on the ground, underneath the feeding station and on the fatballs. However, the House Sparrows decided it was not welcome and chased it off.
Day of the Goose, Hat-trick of Egrets and 2 Barn Owls......
Quite a few Lesser White-fronted Geese from a Swedish reintroduction programme had arrived in the UK (mainly Norfolk) and it was this in mind that enticed Jason and I towards North West Norfolk (13th).
There had been a report of 9 Lesser White-fronts at Binham the previous day so we headed there first. No geese here but a lone Cattle Egret was on the grounds of what must have been a very large church at one time, opposite Binham village hall. Further along the road we encountered 2 Red Kites, seemingly following the hedge cutting, maybe hoping for a meal.
We then headed for Warham, where Jason had seen a report of Lesser White-fronts the previous day too, which probably related to the same report I had seen at Binham; confusing!
We parked up near Warham Fort, usually a summer time destination in search of insects and after wandering down the road a bit where through a gap in the hedge we could see geese moving but then retraced our steps and went along the track to the fort and headed towards a fence, where the geese were visible, albeit at distance!
We could see some smaller white-fronts with some Grey-lag Geese and further studies with the telescope revealed them to be Lesser White-fronts. We could see about 6 through a gap in the Juncus of the 9 reported and also present away from the Lesser White-fronts and Grey-lags were White-fronted Geese and Barnacle Geese. A Red Kite and a Little Egret were also seen here.
We then had a look at Burnham Overy Staithe and found a selection of waders, which included: 3 Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Redshank, Curlew, Oystercatcher, 2 Dunlin and also a Little Egret.
Lunch at Brancaster Staithe didn’t really find too much to begin with but Jason spotted 3 Red-breasted Mergansers at the far end of the eastern channel, which then promptly flew off! Also here of note were Ringed Plover, Curlew, Turnstone and Oystercatcher.
A drive around ‘the block’ at Choosley Barns found quite a good variety of wildlife with 10 Chinese Water Deer being a record here where once there were none!
Several Brown Hares were also seen and predators included Red Kite and Common Buzzard. At least 11 Fieldfare were on a stubble field with a Song Thrush and in the hedgerows we found at least 2 Reed Bunting, 4+ Yellowhammer and a charm of Chaffinch.
Approximately 1000 Pink-footed Geese were in the skies, seemingly looking for somewhere to land but even when they did they were not there for long-very skittish!
Just before arriving at the A149 pull-in at Burnham Overy a Barn Owl was spotted (by Jason) on a post, It wasn’t there for long but then hunted along the hedgerows until lost from sight.
2 Great White Egrets were seen on Holkham Freshmarsh and 70+ Barnacle Geese were there too.
Another Barn Owl was seen out hunting and perching on posts at the back of Wells Pools and 2 Avocet were of note here too.
Further along, between Wells and Stiffkey we came across at least 1000 Brent Geese on a field and also here were Curlews and 4 Brown Hare.
A Greenshank was the highlight at Morston Quay and at Cley Coastguards a raft of Common Scoter was still present and a Little Grebe was on the river along Beach Road. Finally more Geese with 70+ Brent Geese on a field at Salthouse; definitely ‘day of the goose’ plus other highlights.
When Nature can't be 'pigeon-holed'?
The first birds of note, out with Jason Nichols (6th) were 400+ Common Scoter off Cley Coastguards, but apart from a Black-headed Gull nothing else was found in their midst.
Morston Quay yielded a Greenshank but very little else and only Brent Geese were of note at Wells Pools.
Lunch at Brancaster Staithe found 3 Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Redshank, 11+ Turnstone (enticed by some food), Curlew, 2 Black-tailed Godwit and Oystercatcher, plus a couple of Common Gulls.
The approach road to Thornham Point saw a Song Thrush fly across the road but very little else at Thornham Harbour, where both Glaucous Gull and Black Brant had been reported, but venturing out on a walk in very cold conditions to find any of these was not justified!
Choosley found raptors: Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard and Red Kite and smaller species seen were 11 Yellowhammers. Mammals-wise we saw 6 Chinese Water Deer and at least 2 Brown Hare.
Stopping off at the pull-in along the A149 overlooking Burnham Overy Marshes only found some Pink-footed Geese, whilst at Stiffkey, now the thaw had occurred the Glossy Ibis was now sighted, despite its absence on the drive through.
We stopped at Walsey Hills where a Siberian Chiffchaff had been reported, over several days. Whilst in the car I heard a song that I didn’t recognise. It had in it phrases of a Dunnock and Robin I thought but later after listening to several recordings of Siberian Chiffchaff, the song I had heard seemed to fit the brief.
We walked to the eastern side of Walsey Hills where the Chiffchaff had been reported from and after about quarter of an hour we began to see movement, which up until now had been a bird-less area. We saw several Goldcrests and Chiffchaff, maybe more than one.
Later, on researching Siberian Chiffchaff I found very clear cut criteria, which were considered necessary to verify this subspecies, but the photographs contained therewith contradicted the criteria set out!
Both Jase and I looked at our resultant images and considered some of the images taken to fit the description of this bird, but the literature regarding this subspecies (species considered by some!) covered some very variable forms of what is regarded as a Siberian Chiffchaff!
Now maybe there is a subspecies/species here somewhere but with several considered subspecies of Chiffchaff overlapping one and another’s distribution, I wonder what the evolutionary isolating factor is here?
Not too long nothing would be considered by science as a species unless it was isolated through allopatric speciation (a species isolated by say a sea or mountain range). However, now Sympatric speciation (speciation occurring without physical boundaries but notably attributed to sexual selection, for example Cichlids in Lake Malawi) is accepted it could be that birds are being selected through song or call or both.
I do think this ‘splitting’ and calling a bird a different species is on very shaky ground by the individuals who are judge, jury and executioners and I am afraid I don’t recognise or accept their overall skills to adjudge this.
Whilst evolution can take a very long time to happen via say environmental or genetic mutation (mutation in the majority of cases is usually damaging at best or fatal), evolutionary processes can also happen in a very short time, for example the Geopiza Finches of the Galapagos or the seasonal change in beak morphology found in the Great Tit, but this change can be reversible too!
The genetics of speciation is problematic at best and I for one do not know nearly anywhere enough about it as I would like, but I am not the one sitting on the ‘speciation throne’ deciding something which the ‘birding’ fraternity do not seem equipped to make decisions about. It may be the case that instead of appreciating the processes which affect birds via evolutionary change there seems to be a drive to add numbers to a list, although recent changes by the BBRC have knocked several birds off people’s lists, oh dear!
Travelling through Weybourne a Sparrowhawk was taking the same path, hunting along the road; just as woodland edge would be to, it but a dangerous place in modern times!
With a hat-trick of Egrets and lots of Geese both in species and numbers plus two Barn Owls; as a former pupil of Kirmington Primary School who went to school with my kids would say: ‘The jobs a good-un’! (Guy Martin).
Second record of Bunting in 2025......
An immature male Reed Bunting was in the garden (2nd) looking for food below the feeding station. This is the second record of this species this year, which we occasionally get in cold weather.
2 Collared Dove, 2 Wood Pigeon, several House Sparrow, Dunnock, Robin and Blackbird was also seen.