9th April 2017 (Norfolk)

Headed up to Norfolk on the 6th to stay with family, and had a couple of Red Kites as is pretty much guaranteed now.

As there isn't much in the way of rarities in Norfolk at the moment I decided to spend this morning looking for the golden pheasant in the Wolferton Triangle. I saw the birds on Brownsea a few years ago, though I know not every birder is satisfied with these so I was keen to upgrade.

I arrived at 6:35am and drove a slow loop around the triangle to no avail before pulling over before the give way sign on the northern side. There was a great dawn-chorus, including singing firecrest and distant woodlark.

About 10 minutes later, a birder who was parked on the south side pulled up beside me and told me that the pheasant was headed towards me through the rhododendrons, and that it should be about to cross the gap further back down the road. Needless to say I quickly backed the car up and got to the gap in the vegetation. I only had to wait a few seconds before hearing its explosive call, after which the Golden Pheasant burst out from the vegetation and strutted across the gap. Views were breif and obscured, but I was estatic! and somewhat relieved that I wouldn't have to hang around all day.

Golden Pheasant - Wolferton Triangle

Decided to park up and wander north, which proved a good decision as I soon had one of the Woodlarks I heard earlier in a song flight. Other highlights included a flock of Bramblings, 2 Lesser Redpolls and both Muntjac and Roe Deer.

Wolferton

I wasn't too far from Titchwell so decided to stop there next. This produced another group of Redpoll, plus 2 each of Garganey and Red-Crested Pochard plus my first Sand Martin of the year and a Chinese Water Deer. On the sea, there were brilliant number of Common Scoter, amongst which I picked out at least 5 Velvet Scoters and a single Long-Tailed Duck, plus 2 each of Whimbrel and Sandwich Tern.

Garganeys - Titchwell

Red-Crested Pochard - Titchwell

Linnet - Titchwell

News then came through of a kentish plover at Breydon Water - a species that I've missed out on several times due to one reason or another. I headed over but stopped to check the news about half an hour before I was due to arrive and read that it had flown off. Knowing all too well how breif kentish can be, I headed back home. 15 minutes after getting back, and of course it was relocated! and as I'm visiting family, I couldn't really drive all the way back. That makes 7 missed kentish plovers in a row now! One day...