The White Falcon 💙
@Vaasetter
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Freelance sports TV producer || Natural history writer || TG04 patchworker & BOURC member || Music obsessive, Neil Young mainly || Don't Spook The Horse ☮️🕊️
north Norfolk coast
Joined August 2019
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*FREE SCOPE*
If there's a young birdwatcher, 16 years or under, who'd like my old Kowa TSN 823M spotting 'scope (it's well used & seen lots of birds 🙂) DM me (with parent/guardian consent). It's in great working order, worth £350+ & it's free to a good home.
Please R/T, thanks
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Twitter ~ can you do that cool thing you can do?
This rucksack with important documents inside was left at Cley beach shelter today. It belongs to John Beaton from Andover.
I'd love to find a way to get it back to him (no contact numbers inside).
Please RT, thanks, Mark
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866
Fantastic news! The owner is on his way to collect the rucksack & bank cards & documents from me ~ he'd left it there after fishing.
Very grateful to Sue
@NorfolkPolice
in King's Lynn who tracked the owner down.
So a massive thank you to *ALL* of you for the RTs and DMs.
Twitter ~ can you do that cool thing you can do?
This rucksack with important documents inside was left at Cley beach shelter today. It belongs to John Beaton from Andover.
I'd love to find a way to get it back to him (no contact numbers inside).
Please RT, thanks, Mark
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866
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I am beyond thrilled ~ the look on Dylan's face as the proud new owner of a grand scope is an absolute picture. Thanks to
@saunt_mick
for supplying another eyepiece &
@cleyspy
for generously covering the courier. Lynnette did an awesome job w/the packaging too. Enjoy it Dylan 😁
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Dylan - the scope is yours. The fab folks
@cleyspy
have kindly said they'd look after the postage & packing too. Huge thanks to
@ChallinorSukie
for getting in touch about that. DM me or get
@FrancisDaunt
to drop me a line & we will sort out getting it to you.
Enjoy the scope 😁
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I settled myself, knowing full well there had to be a Wheatear here. Had a word with myself, scanned, there it was. A lifetime birding ambition achieved, Isabelline Wheatear at Cley. Days like today are precisely why I tramp around marginal areas, working them as best I can. 2/2
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Any birdwatchers who were parked at Walsey Hills looking at Red-breasted Goose this AM (10/02/22) - we found your scope & tripod! DM me if yours. Thx 🙂
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This flight of Norfolk Pink-feet was a majestic conclusion to the day. Breathtaking and awe-inspiring. This is a spectacle I will never ever tire of seeing. Simply wonderful.
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Lynnette found this extraordinary Pale Tussock caterpillar when we were sorting out the logs. It's incredible side on, head on, even better: both of us couldn't go beyond a new name, Muppet Moth, as it's a dead-ringer for a new funk-punk character out of
@JimHensonMuppet
studio.
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@bardofely
Thanks ever so much Steve. It's happened 👍🏻 Rucksack and owner reunited. Really appreciate the repost, ATB, Mark
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I don't see enough Kingfishers to know what this behaviour might mean ~ both birds on the edge of the scrape (for 25 minutes+), often appearing to mimic each other, move for move. Not seen this before. Territorial? A sibling thing?
Our learned friend
@themarshtit
, over to you...
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Cley's Long-billed Dowitcher almost submerging itself as it reacts to a sizeable spook over the Serpentine in lovely afternoon light today (before the total "grey-out" as the chilly sea-fret rolled in).
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Least we forget.
The Portscatho Least Sandpiper, discovered 36 years ago today, 09/02/86, by a confident, just turned 19 year old me, to a degree of consternation & a fair amount of disbelief from some locals. So much excitement, scoping Least Sandpiper then King Eider & back 🙂
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The most obliging of the afternoon's Caspian Gulls at Cley ~ a rather delicate looking 1st-winter. Such a subtle beauty...
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The
@SeaEagleEngland
young ♂️ White-tailed Eagle from the Isle of Wight scheme may not be to every birdwatchers' taste. BUT ~ to hear excited "ooooh's" & "aaaaah's" from youngsters watching this epic bird was to see & hear a vital connection with their natural world.
Priceless.
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A calm, overcast late May morning. Feels incredibly good out here. And so it is... Chris Goodie's brilliant Blyth's Reed Warbler in Walsey Hills setting the standard today. Ultra elusive but singing his heart out, a bit more Thrush-y than Marsh. This is just the start to the day
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A stylish & rather beautiful example of Buff Ermine, a species that appears to be having a prolific summer in 2022.
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Death's-head Hawk-moth
Cley beach
May 26 2022
The most extraordinary surprise of the year so far here & it is kind of hard to imagine anything better for the rest of 2022 come to that. What an extraordinary creature.
The Gothic Overlord, tinted with rust.
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Delighted by the
@_bbrc
decision to accept the adult ♂️ Subalpine Warbler at Burnham Overy dunes, in the autumn of 2007, as Norfolk's 1st Moltoni's Warbler (Curruca subalpina). A lot of work went into the submission, grateful thanks to all who commented. Photos by
@CleyBirds
. 1/3
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Brilliant
#cley
morning. Flushed this Wryneck from the footpath
@NWTCleyCentre
& it then went to the alexanders east of Old Woman's Lane. Very showy at times. Presumably the same elusive bird but a 3 week stay in spring is unusual. Also GWEgret, Spoonbill, 3 Grasshopper W. Ace!
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DIM Wallace 1933-2021
The last of the true pioneers.
A one-off, an extraordinary talent (from pushing identification boundaries to his incredibly vibrant lectures through to his distinctive & quite wonderful artwork) & all with a personality to match.
Here's to a life well lived.
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I'm delighted to become the newest member of the BOURC & I'm really looking forward to working with my colleagues on a number of fascinating files ahead. Replacing
@DEBALMER
is quite the task! Grateful thanks to
@IBIS_journal
for the warm welcome.
The BOU is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Golley
@Vaasetter
to its Records Committee (BOURC).
Mark replaces Dawn Balmer
@DEBALMER
and we thank Dawn for her valuable contributions during her term with us.
#BritishList
#ornithology
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Here's a minute of the hare-guzzling White-tailed Eagle from this morning on the edge of Wiveton village. With food (hopefully "clean") and a great roost wood, it may hang around for a few days...
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There's a long story that could be told about this fabulous piece. A rare Killian Mullarney watercolour of Pomarine Skuas, off the SE corner of Ireland, dated 1987. I first saw it 30+ years ago & loved it immediately. This spring, as the most amazing present, it came to me 😊🎁😊
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It's in the sueada...
Extraordinary scenes at Stiffkey.
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Super comparison of the Cley American Golden Plover & Musselburgh Pacific Golden Plovers, both found on Saturday. Great to compare & contrast, similar but different too & a timely reminder that either can occur in summer. Grateful thanks to
@CleyBirds
&
@JohnSNadin54
for fab pix.
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The worst section, 250 yards long, 10 yards wide is at the bottom of the Hangs, totally levelled. I spoke to the guy who's done it & he confirmed it's to put up a fence. Nothing more. A fence. It's mid-May FFS & a number of breeding birds have had nests destroyed. Clueless 3/3
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34 years ago today, Portscatho. Found in the harbour while looking at the Queen Eider. On the day, some were dubious; Paul Kemp and the late Iain Prophet went with it. It moved to the cliffs & stayed to April. Still the only February record & remains one of my favourite finds 😉
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A cracking way to start a muggy Monday ~ a superb Spotted Crake on Snipe's Marsh, Walsey Hills this morning. Amazingly the first record here in 13 years, since Sept 2009 (at least one that's shown itself, one was reported in 2017).
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An amazing encounter for
@LinnetinPaston
and I on the edge of Salthouse Heath today. A breathtaking Purple Hairstreak on oak, one of at least a dozen, at head height or lower.
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Sensational start to our Shetland trip ~ this stunning 2cy ♂️ Sardinian Warbler showing well at times on the lichen-clad walls of Sumburgh Farm this morning. Barely been here for an hour 🙂
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Lots of retro, rather fabulous old skool birding images popped up yesterday, thanks to
@NiallMachin1
and
@CantleySteve
for prompting memories galore. This was a favourite, my 400th UK species, the 1987 Tresco Philadelphia Vireo, painted, within 24 hours, by the ace Ian Lewington.
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The magnificent Spotted Sandpiper
@RSPBTitchwell
. Earlier
@LinnetinCley
& I had distant, heat-hazy views but we headed back for evening light. And exceptional views 😁 I'd like it to head east, 20 miles or so down the coast now please! My 2nd Norfolk SS, the last in <eeek> 1994.
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It's my 37th anniversary 🙂 February 9th 1986 will always be a special day ~ it's when I discovered the Portscatho Least Sandpiper, whilst watching a female King Eider in the pretty bay. A very happy Sunday indeed & a long stay on some clifftop puddles was well-received too 🙂
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One of the traps checked on Sunday morning was brought alive by the dazzling ♀️ Emperor~ a first for both of us. An absolutely stunning moth, a natural beauty beyond words...
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There's something of the night about it...
Night Heron on Pat's Pool
@NWTCleyCentre
this evening
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Last year I asked the brilliant
@rlewington2
if he'd consider a commission of a Puss Moth for a surprise Christmas present for Lynnette. Richard produced the marvellous artwork seen here. Today, it seemed rude not to have the real thing side by side. Both are absolutely perfect.
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Absolute scenes at the MV in Cley this evening! Small Eggar, a pretty unusual moth nationally & absolutely exquisite to boot. Like a Swiss chocolatier's creation, complete with delicate creamy white frosting, totally delicious (& my 1st Pine Beauty in the same box). Wowsers.
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This time last year, I was thrilled to send Edinburgh-based young birder Dylan Daunt my old Kowa scope. His old account was recently deleted by Twitter, but he's got a new one, so please consider a follow
@alpine_swift_
He's so keen & loves Twitter birding news & chat.
Thanks 🙂
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It's August Bank Holiday, so my mind has wandered to the best ABH bird I've ever seen ~ the 1985 Cley square Little Whimbrel. Found by the northwest's finest, a big crowd gathered on the Blakeney Bank Sunday morning, before it flew to the Eye Field, where the scene was epic!
1/
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Wonderful views of two Little Buntings at the bottom of Kelling Heath this afternoon with
@LinnetinCley
. Certainly the best views I've enjoyed in the county & maybe the 1st time I've seen a double since Slapton way back when. With grateful thanks to the finder.
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At some point in the last couple of weeks a startling change in Cley's shingle landscape occurred. A vast miles long 8ft high shingle shelf has formed, it's form & height something I've not seen for over two decades (when the 3 old rusted yellow JCBs used to shore up the bank).
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Thirty years ago today, I moved in "to my little box, at the top of the stairs", the soon to be renamed Love Shack on top of the coastguard building. April 1st 1990 was my 1st day as Assistant Warden on Cley NNT reserve. An amazing four seasons followed through until 1993. 1/3
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Very happy to bring this superb Richard Richardson study of Norfolk Montagu's Harriers back home to Cley. Undated, it's perhaps a late '60s piece ~ his dairies reference watching Broadland pairs at the end of the decade. Quite an unusual study for RAR too I think.
It's a beauty.
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Sad to read today of the passing of legendary Big Jake. This was an amazing recording to hear as a kid. And then I met him here at Cley. Such a nice guy to listen to with allsorts of birding tales. Sincere condolences to all of John's family and friends.
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Black-winged Kite
Hickling (but closer to Horsey & Brograve)...
July 18 2023
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Lynnette & I headed to Kelling Heath as the sun was shining & despite the breeze there were sheltered spots. Eventually, their was the prize, the Large Tortoiseshell first seen at the start of the week. Seen buzzing an Orange Underwing at one point. (Video still thru' phone).
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As predicted, its all got very Iberian on the Norfolk coast this afternoon..
Woodchat Shrike at Kelling Water Meadow...
@Recordshotmyars
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Here's the (presumed) Stejneger's Stonechat that's at Holme today. It appears to show the relevant suite of characters for the species. Tricky to get good images with the wind and strong sunlight...
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Our rather fab friend
@themarshtit
mentioned he'd seen a rather extravagant looking beetle, with both English & scientific names to match, on
@NWTCleyCentre
recently. Today we found it lurking in the reeds ~ Agapanthia villosoviridescens, the Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle.
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May 4th marks the centenary of the birth of Richard Richardson. Sitting by his headstone as I type, two male Blackcaps sing their glorious spring seranades, a Cuckoo is cuckooing way off in the valley & a Wren trills excitedly in the churchyard hedge.
I think he would approve.
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The Long-billed Dowitcher has laid down a number of new pastel-pink summery breast feathers across the weekend & looks better & better each time we see it. Once teatime draws most folks away from the marsh, the Dowitcher loves to show close to Daukes' Hide. Simply brilliant.
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***FREE SCOPE***
*Please R/T*
Thanks to the kindness & generosity of
@LizWallis
, I'm thrilled to be able to offer this super Kowa 'scope to a young birdwatcher (*14-21 years old*) who'd like a 'scope to enhance their birding. Its a TSN-1 + x30WA eyepiece & Skua stay-on case.
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I can't help but remember this. A soggy May 27 in 1993 was begging for a BP jaunt. The weather broke late afternoon. I'd closed the visitor centre early. I wandered west hoping for the Rosefinch. A left turn at the Hood, a furtive scurrying shape, rusty tail, then yellow eyes...
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There are, doubtless, many great things to come from birdwatching in 2022 but this one will be hard to beat for me. I so knew that
@alpine__swift
would have the best time with my old
@KowaOpticsEU
'scope. Thrilled to see these pictures of Dylan in the field with it. Fabulous 🙂
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Bird of the autumn for me so far, my 1st Cley Square Radde's Warbler showing superbly at the Hood. Bird courtesy of Leighton Newman. Stunning capture courtesy of Point stalwart Richard Porter. Fab rambling company courtesy of
@LinnetinPaston
. The 30 year wait was so worth it 🙂
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More nostalgia.
April 1st 1990 ~ my 1st day as Assistant Warden at Cley. Having spent many nights dossing in the beach hotel, my wooden box on top of Derek's cafe was a definite upgrade. The Shack was home for four long seasons, each one longer as I didn't want to leave...
1/
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One last one of the Cley Death's-head Hawk-moth from today.
A memorable experience for all those who came to the Beach Hotel to take a look...
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Heading back through
#cley
I saw a familiar sight in Crabpot Books. To any teenage birder in the early 80s this was the Book of Revelations. In 1982 a YOC holiday saw nightly exams as to what was seen where and on what date. Oct 11 was, of course, hyperzonky megacrippler day...
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A little montage (hopefully of interest too 😉) of the West Bank Rock & Water Pipits from this morning. I'm fairly sure that it's the first time I've seen the two species side-by-side at Cley. Any day when I have (some kind of a) Cley 1st is a very good day indeed 🙂
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Today was the day to finally head to the extraordinary poppy field in Salthouse. I've seen it for days & took a detour to take a look & I'm very pleased I did. Oh. My. Word.
It is breathtaking...
2/5
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Superb views of the White-tailed Eagle (a young Dutch rehab'ed bird) in the Oriole Wood along the valley this morning 🙂 It moved to a recently dead hare in fields on the Wiveton side before repositioning on the edge of the poplars once again. Quite superb...
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Happy Slender-billed Gulls Day 🤍🩷❤️! May 12 1987.
A spectacular pair of this beautiful gull landed at Cley & showed (off & on) until May 15th. Never forget the 3.50am "there they are" call the day I nicked off school for a pre-dawn arrival in north Norfolk. Sensational birds.
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The search for Silver-studded Blues was curtailed with news of a Red-backed Shrike somewhere on the heath. Eventually we located it by the car park before it quickly moved to a new area. What an absolute beauty & one that rang a distant bell, but what was the bell?
1/4
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What can I say? A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has liked & R/T this. So grateful. Lots of lovely messages & DMs. I'm going to pop all interested youngsters' names into my Green Bay Packers hat & we will pick a name out later on.
Thanks again everyone, Mark 🙂
*FREE SCOPE*
If there's a young birdwatcher, 16 years or under, who'd like my old Kowa TSN 823M spotting 'scope (it's well used & seen lots of birds 🙂) DM me (with parent/guardian consent). It's in great working order, worth £350+ & it's free to a good home.
Please R/T, thanks
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With a bit of persistence & a lot of help, I've had news on the recent Dutch White Stork that arrived at Wiveton before touring Suffolk, Norfolk & Cambridgeshire. It was ringed, as an unsexed nestling, with two siblings, at a nest near Schalkwijk, SE of Utrecht, in June 2020.
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Our 2nd Black Brant in 24 hours was an absolute humdinger ~ an old skool bobby-dazzler in winter wheat fields just inland from Titchwell this afternoon, just south of the A149 junction on the road up to Choseley. One of the best Brants I've seen in Norfolk for years. A stunner.
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I think the most fantastic part of watching the Bittern at such close quarters was to see its amazing feeding technique. Head cocked to one side, bill tip just cutting through the surface of the water, then sweeping quietly to turn it's head the other way, repeating the process.
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Holy moly ~ lunchtime garden gold! Pottering outside & saw this stunning Scarlet Tiger on our little fruit tree. Scarce in Norfolk & hen's teeth rare along the north coast (as in this looks to be the 1st one).
Oooof!
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Scenes!!!!
Absolute. Scenes.
As Lynnette just said, there's lots of untold jumping up & down at the Cley Moth Obs. On the wall, near the Actinic.
Holy. Moly.
💙
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A few more of the (presumed) Stejneger's Stonechat at Holme...
March 13 2022
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Saving the best to last. RAR never painted limosa Black-tailed Godwits better than he did here. I adore this painting, perfect in every way. A brilliant artist friend said it was the best Richardson he'd seen. I wouldn't disagree. Encapsulates all I love about Cley, limosas & RAR
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A lovely moment at Cley where wild swans were in evidence (10 Bewick's below). A flock of 6 bugling Whoopers came "in-off" & the lone baby Whooper on North saw them, called & they responded. They circled the reserve twice as the youngster caught up, then all flew SW. Delightful.
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A bit more video from this morning's blustery viewing session of the stunning 1st winter Red-breasted Goose in the Eye Field at Cley.
Might be some more to come too...!
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Pink-feet heading to the Freshes across a stunning November sunset with Blakeney church in the background.
Gorgeous.
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Some super views of the wintering Long-billed Dowitcher out on Simmonds' Scrape this morning. Arriving in mid October, this is the longest staying Dowitcher seen in Norfolk ~ if it stays into April, it'll be a seventh month in the county. Signs of 1st summer plumage coming too...
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Muggy, sunny, warm, chilly, breezy, cloudy...a "rare feeling" day at
#cley
& so it was. The 5th Great Reed Warbler started it off & a stunning ♂️ thunbergi showed with 35 flava wagtails at close range in the Eye Field & Beach car park.
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Had reason to look at the artwork within this beautiful booklet recently, Lars Jonsson's Swedish language "Lommar". I bought it from Lars at the Swanwick BTO/Birding World conference in 1992 & I'm so pleased I did. A gorgeous volume & the very best diver illustrations there are.
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The clamour & cacophony of several 1000 Pink-footed Geese as they take to the air...
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To give folks a break from endless Nighthawk photos, here's a beautiful Barred Sallow in full-on autumnal colour scheme.
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After a morning looking at geese, Lynnette & I decided to try & find something around the square. And we did! A stunning, beautifully colourful Shore Lark on the shingle 400 yards east of Gramborough Hill, giving lovely views in the watery winter sunshine.
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Great excitement with the feeding frenzy Yelkouan/Menorcan Shearwater at Portland. Love the photos by
@debbyseamist
. For interest, my field notes & RGM rough sketches of one of the same from Cley in August 2011, called by RGM & myself. It didn't get past BBRC. No pix, no record.
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Back in the day, I would have loved the Rarity of 2021 polls that surface on my timeline. Nowadays, it seems that just one species features as my Bird of the Year: step forward, Black-tailed Godwit. We found this wondrous vanilla gem was at North Point in July, my
#1
choice.
1/5
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So....
Today
@LinnetinCley
& I had the privilege of marvelling at one of the great wildlife spectacles in the UK.
We were almost speechless after this extraordinary site, courtesy of
@ShetlandTours
.
Not enough superlatives for the experience. Thanks so much Phil
#promoteShetland
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Mark E Smith's performance on Final Score was a left-field masterstroke by my friend & programme editor Lance Hardy, who passed away at the weekend. AFC Sunderland obsessive, Lance was a Fall fan too. He was also funny, thoughtful & talented. A sad day.
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This gorgeous, very striking orange-legged Pink-footed Goose has been in the flock at Cley for over a week now. Lovely vivid legs on this individual, a real beauty & great to have such nice views of it this afternoon in local beet fields. A classic PFG in every other respect.
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The sun came out this morning & so did this brilliantly showy Barred Warbler in Wiveton, seen on a wander around the valley this morning. The 1st December record for us & probably the 1st December bird in TG04 too. Phone/bins pix do it no justice, incredibly showy! Vocal too.
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Ooooooof! What. A. Beauty.
Black Arches
Cley
July 26 2021
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No one deserves such another glorious UK 1st than
@Scillypelagics
. Tirelessly searching the seas off Scilly for many years, pulling something stunning out of the bag every once in a while. Scopoli's, Swinhoe's, Madeiran now Zino's. What a role-call of honour. Bravo Bob et al.
Zino's Petrel y'day eve pelagic 3 miles southwest Bishop Rock @ 20.55 - photo Danni & Zac Hinchcliffe
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The Cley Pink-foot flock has grown from 1000 birds 10 days ago to around 6000 this evening. An incredible sight & sound as they pirouetted & wiffled out of the icy blue & burnt orange sky & down onto the beet tops as the "wolf moon" began to rise. Awe-inspiring finale to the day.
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This morning is a GOOD morning...
2cy ♂️ Red-foored Falcon drifted over the middle of Cley High Street, circled for a minute or so, then headed north towards the west of the the NWT Reserve at 1020.
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