Wildlife Photo Diaries 2025

Wildlife Diaries for Norfolk, the UK and Garden

April 2025

Bees and nesting birds in the garden and the Red Masons move indoors!

The second half of April began with two Goldfinches coming to drink at the pond (14th); always pretty birds to see and 2 Blue Tits were again present with one bringing in some ‘soft’ nest material, indicating the nest in one of the nestboxes is near to completion. A Red Kite was in the skies and this was followed by a Common Buzzard and the first Tawny Mining Bee Andrena fulva of the year was seen on a Flowering Currant.

I had been pondering for some time how to allow the solitary bees to exit the drilled blocks and canes in the bee hotel, without letting them use the same holes again, as I wanted to renew the nesting holes. So, I came up with the idea of bringing the blocks and canes into the lounge in a cardboard box, where I could assist them out into the garden, whilst there would be no bees able to re-nest in the blocks and tubes.

Obviously a fairly constant vigil is needed for this, as they need to find food quickly after emerging, after consuming the provisioned food in the nest chamber. The first Red Mason Bee emerged on the same day (15th) I brought the nest sites in.

Similar to 2024 a somewhat early juvenile Dunnock was in the garden with both parents (presumably?!). A Robin made an appearance for the first time in a while and Blue Tits were ‘feeding on’ parts of the Flowering Currant flowers. Back in 1999, whilst undertaking my dissertation for my degree (on Blue and Great Tit feeding preferences) I came across a scientific paper mentioning Blue Tits feeding on nectar from flowers! This is something I have seen them doing before, on more than one occasion.

Meanwhile, in the lounge 8 Red Mason Bees emerged and were taken out into the garden.

14 Red Mason Bees emerged (16th) followed by another 14 (17th), 13 (18th) and 10 (19th) when there was also a cock Pheasant in the garden again.

A Robin was noticeable by its continued presence in the garden (20th) and a further 5 Red Mason Bees emerged from indoors.

As suspected the recent presence of Robins in the garden brought about nest material being brought in (21st) to the open-front nestbox outside the bathroom, where they have nested before. A Goldfinch and a Blue Tit were of note, whilst in the lounge, the emergence of Red Mason Bees continued with 16 emerging.

Further Red Mason Bee emergences continued (22nd) with a total of 18 emerging from the drilled blocks and canes. It has been essential to keep a look out for them in all areas of my abode and today I found 2 males fighting on the bathroom windowsill, whilst others have been found in the hall and in the kitchen, in fact everywhere!

Anthophora plumipes are still busy in the garden with the females particularly attracted to the Borage flowers, as are the Red Mason Bees which were everywhere in the garden today entering the new blocks in the bee hotel and in the Buddleia upturned stump with holes drilled in it (made last year) to make another bee hotel.

Migrant passerines and first Holly Blues......



The usual journey along the North Norfolk coast with Jason Nichols (17th) began with a Wheatear and 3 singing Sedge Warblers along Beach Road, Salthouse.

Cley’s Eye Field found 4 more Wheatears and 2 Swallows flying through.

The first Holly Blue of the year was seen along the track to Wells Pools and a pair of Grey Partridges was seen again along with Black-tailed Godwits, Avocets and 2 Marsh Harrier.

Brancaster Staithe was rather quiet; bird-wise but a Little Egret and several Black-tailed Godwits were of note.

A drive around Choosley Barns found our first Lesser Whitethroat; not only heard but seen singing from the top of a hedgerow. A Common Whitethroat was also heard but not seen this time and 2 Yellowhammer and a Reed Bunting were of note as were 2 Brown Hare and 2 Chinese Water Deer.

A drive around Salthouse Heath accessed our first singing Willow Warbler of the year, albeit distant. A Blackcap was also heard and another Holly Blue was seen as were 3 Red Kites together.

At Potter Heigham Marshes the first Reed Warbler of the year was heard singing and Sedge and Cetti’s Warblers were also heard. Pair of Marsh Harriers and a Common Buzzard was recorded, whilst there was a good scattering of Peacock butterflies and a Mallard brood.

Finally, entering Martham village a Red Kite was in the skies.

Muntjac, Birds and Bees......

The second week of April opened with a Muntjac near the back hedge on the grass (8th). Although outside the garden this is the nearest one has been to the garden.

A cock Pheasant was in the garden (9th) and also a female Reed Bunting, but no sign of a male since the 7th.

The first Red Mason Bee Osmia bicornis was seen (11th) and later one was seen investigating the new blocks with holes drilled in them in the Bee-hotel.

A possible Green-veined White was seen outside the garden, whilst 2 Dunnock, pair Collared Dove collecting nest material (via some intended untidy gardening!), 2 Wood Pigeon, 3 male House Sparrow and a pair of Blue Tits, one of which was carrying a moss-laden beak-full were in the garden.

Later in the afternoon Bees were very much in evidence and along with the population of nesting Anthophora plumipes Hairy-footed Flower Bees and their cleptoparasites Common Mourning Bees (2, one seen entering the mud-brick holes, again), there was a sighting of the first Tawny Mining Bee Andrena fulva visiting the Flowering Currant.

Buffish Mining Bees were again present and 5 species of Bumblebees were recorded: Buff-tailed, White-tailed, Carder, Red-tailed (one, once again entering the middle nestbox) and Early. Tapered Drone flies Eristalis pertinax were patrolling; holding territory over the garden’s vegetation, 3 then 2 Common Buzzards circled overhead and later a pair of Goldfinch were drinking from the bird bath and a Great Tit was heard singing whilst another was in the garden.

A Wren was of note (12th) with the regular Wood Pigeons, Collared Doves, House Sparrows, Starlings, female Blackbird (with hardly any tail) and Dunnocks all coming in for food.

Norfolk Spring Migrants, Raptor-fest and Alexander Bees and Hoverflies......

An uneventful start at Beach Road, Salthouse with Jason Nichols (10th) saw us drive along Beach Road, Cley looking for migrants on the Eye Field. The particular migrants were Wheatears and I found a male, before two additional birds were seen.

At Morston Quay a Great White Egret flew over and its smaller relative the Little Egret was in the channel.

At Wells Pools 5 Brown Hares were good to see and 5 Ruff, 21 Black-tailed Godwit and a Marsh Harrier were also seen. The first singing Sedge Warbler of the year was heard but not seen, as was a Common Whitethroat and a Blackcap and on the way out along the track we found a pair of Grey Partridges.

Lunch at Brancaster Staithe also saw a pair of Avocet (which seem to be getting more frequent here), Little Egret, Curlew, a few Black-tailed Godwits, Turnstone and 2 Oystercatcher.

The drive around Choosley Barns began with a ‘raptor fest’ with at least 6 Red Kite and 6 Common Buzzard in the skies or down on a field, behind which arable work was attracting a flock of Gulls, which included some Mediterranean as the calls dictated.

Common Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Blackcap were all heard and a female Orange-tip was the first of the year and also seen were Peacock and probable Green-veined White. However, this week only 2 Chinese Water Deer were seen, probably due to the arable farm-work going on with one field, presumably planting potatoes had a veritable ‘convoy’ of Tractors!

A look over Holkham Freshmarsh found at least 7 Spoonbills present alongside Cormorants, with one carrying nest material. 2 Chinese Water Deer were seen as were 2 Barnacle Geese, before further along the road my first Swallow of the year was seen with another on following; this time a male perched on a telegraph wire in the sunshine.

We stopped in the pull-in at the beginning of the track to Wells Pools to look at something on Jason’s phone but soon my attention was drawn to some activity around the Alexander flowers! Here I found several Eristalis tenax Hoverflies and several solitary Bees, which included Andrena dorsata Short-fringed Mining Bee and some male Andrena flavipes Yellow-legged Mining Bees. Also here was the Hoverfly Syritta pipiens.

A male Orange-tip was seen at Stiffkey and another stop at Salthouse found our 4th Wheatear of the day.

April Beginnings and the first Hedgehog for months-ending up at the Vets!

The beginning of April saw a Common Buzzard overhead being mobbed by Gulls, a cock Pheasant was in the garden and a Blue Tit flew towards the shed nestboxes (1st).

A Blue Tit was again present (2nd) and 2 Great Tits were present with a male heard singing again. The male Reed Bunting reappeared and at approximately 16.30 a young Hedgehog appeared in the garden; the first for many months! It fed under the feeders before coming for a drink at the small bowl, before exiting the garden via the hole cut in the bottom of the gate and making its way towards the far hedge across the grass searching for food as it went.

After returning early from a fieldtrip (which as it happened was fortuitous!) I saw a Hedgehog once again in the garden from the kitchen window (3rd). It was about the same size as the individual yesterday but, it didn’t look very well and very sluggish and laying on its side on the bark path. I picked it up and brought it next to the small drinking bowl, but it just laid there. 

I had no regular food for the Hedgehog but suddenly ‘the light went on’ and the sandwich I was making was the answer! So, I went out with a slice of ham pulled into bits and somewhat pleasantly surprised; the hog started  eating the ham.  I went out again with a further slice of ham and some bits of cheese and it began consuming both food sources. However, it lay down again and I knew I had to do something more drastic so I telephoned Caister Vets at Rollesby and they said when asked, that they would take the Hedgehog in, so it was taken there and I hope I had done enough to give this endangered endemic British mammal a fighting chance!

A male Reed Bunting was again present and later seen fly-catching from the back tree. A Blue tit was present again and the first White-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lucorum of the year was seen around the Flowering Currant.

The male Reed Bunting continued to be seen (4th) and a Blue Tit was once again seen flying to the shed nestboxes and a Great Tit was again present. A Green Woodpecker was heard from somewhere to the south and some sudden ‘squawking’ revealed a Sparrowhawk in the top of the back hedge with a Starling!

A queen White-tailed Bumblebee was in the garden, as was a Dark-edged Bee-fly (5th). The male Reed Bunting remained and a Blue Tit and 2 Great Tits were seen.

Blue Tit nesting was confirmed (6th) with a Blue Tit with a beak full of Moss, which it took to the shed nestbox ‘complex’. 2 possibly 3 Great Tits were seen as were the male Reed Bunting, Dunnock and another Red-tailed Bumblebee.

The nesting Anthophora plumipes in the mud brick (which for the third year has been fantastic to watch with a constant hum of bees coming into the living room through the open window) had a visitor today (7th), which I was expecting; their cleptoparasite a female Common Mourning Bee Melecta albifrons which, was almost systematically going in and out of the mud-brick holes!  Every garden should have a Hairy Flower Bee A. plumipes mud brick!  See how to make a mud brick and learn about the fantastic A. plumipes on the Wildlife Articles.

The male Reed Bunting was still present (an unprecedented length of sightings and numbers) and the first Red Kites of the year were high in the sky with 3 raptors; one veering off east and the other 2 heading west. A Dark-edged Bee-fly and 3 species of Bumblebees were seen: Red-tailed, Buff-tailed and Early.

A Muntjac was seen from the kitchen window this morning (8th); quite confiding but also still very wary. This is the closest one seen to the garden.

A queen Red-tailed Bumblebee entered the hole of one of the shed nestboxes and was in there for about 10 minutes.  Later just before 17.00 it was bath time in the garden with 4 Starling and 2 Blue Tits using the facilities. Also present were a Dunnock, Wood Pigeon and 2 male House Sparrows. It has been noticeable over at least the past 2 weeks that House Sparrows are infrequent visitors and their numbers appear to have decreased!

Cranes along the East Norfolk Coast.....

It was a shorter tour of duty with Jason Nichols today (3rd) because Jase had to get back just after midday for an appointment in the afternoon. However, an enjoyable trip up Norfolk’s East Coast began at Somerton.

Pulling in off the road we could see 2 Marsh Harriers over the reeds and in the middle of the field surrounded by Mute Swans was a Black Swan, which we hadn’t seen this exotic escape for some time. At least 7 Pink-footed Geese were also on the field with Grey-lag and Canada Geese and a Cetti’s Warbler was heard and watched for some considerable time as it made its way through the hedge on the other side of the road.

I then saw a Crane flying over the reedbed; one followed by two more (possibly a pair and a juvenile they were trying to part with). Another 2 presumably a pair followed and then 7 Cranes flew past and landed out of sight.

2 Brown Hares were seen at Waxham, with one speeding like a bullet between the furrows of winter wheat!

Common Buzzards were seen en-route before finally, at Walcott we saw several Turnstones fly past but very little else. However, there was drama to come in my garden when I arrived back.

March 2025

The Garden begins to come to life: 26th-31st

The last few days of March saw a pair of Pheasants once again in the garden along with 3 male Reed Buntings, one of which was getting territorial (26th).  The first Peacock of the year appeared briefly and a Dunnock and a Buff-tailed Bumblebee Queen were also seen.

A male Reed Bunting was once again present on both 27th and 28th and the next day (29th) saw the appearance of the first Dark-edged Bee-fly Bombylius major and Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum. Two male Reed Bunting were again present as was a hen Pheasant and the first female Anthophora plumipes was seen. A ‘pair’ of Great Tits gave hope that they would breed again and the male was singing in the garden.

The first Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius was seen (31st) as was a Carder Bumblebee Bombus pascuorum, both male and female Anthophora plumipes were very busy in the garden, especially around the mud-brick and 2 male Reed Buntings continued their presence.

Chinese Choosley!

There was little of interest at either Beach Roads at Salthouse and Cley at the start of the day out with Jason Nichols (27th) so we travelled to Morston Quay.

Black Redstarts had been reported amongst the boats at Morston, but not today! However, a Greenshank was again present along with several Redshanks, Little Egret and a few Brent Geese.

20+ Curlew and a Muntjac were the highlights at Wells Pools and a Grey Plover and several Black-tailed Godwit were worthy of mention at Brancaster Staithe.

Not too much to report from Thornham so off on the drive around at Choosley Barns, where we saw a new record for Chinese Water Deer-21! Several Brown Hares added to the mammal fauna.  Red Kite and Common Buzzards were present as was a Yellowhammer.

The A149 pull-in AT Burnham Overy provided us with a Great White Egret and at least 8 Spoonbills and a Muntjac were seen at Holkham Freshmarsh.

A visit to the middle hides at Cley ended the day with a dark Common Buzzard, Black-tailed Godwits, Avocets, Ruff, Common Snipe and a Little Ringed Plover all seen but only sounds coming from the Common Toads in the dyke.

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.