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Norfolk, Oct 2026

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Another week in our caravan in North Norfolk. The weather was not brilliant but I did managed to catch a few birds. What was striking about this autumn was the comparative lack of Shrikes. The illustrious Black winged Kite was still near Sea Palling but, again, it stayed hundreds of metres away from any possible viewing spot. As a result the pictures barely even count as record shots! Sea birds from Cley beach, including several  Red throated Divers , Razerbills , Guillemots and Gannets . Marsh Harrier , Blackwit and Stonechat around Pat's Pool and a flight of Pinks overhead. We visited Pensthorpe for the first time. It is a great family venue with several hides, that are probably better suited to birders with scopes, than casual photobirders like myself. They have a wetland avairy including Avocet, Ruff, Beardies and Turtle Doves. I visited Holme Beach twice, going back the second time to get better pictures of three Shore Larks. Both times the weather, especially the wind, wa...
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Osprey on the River Axe, mid June 2026

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An unringed Osprey was first seen on the Axe on Sat 13th June and stayed until the afternoon of 16th. Judging by the lack of a strong brown 'necklace' it was probably a male, possible feeding up before heading off to the site of its upbringing. I managed to witness on successful dive on the morning of the 16th.  This fish was eventually dropped when the bird was harassed by a Marsh Harrier, but it did successfully catch and feed shortly afterwards. It was last reported leaving the river and heading north-east. These are shots from the dive.
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Yarner Wood, late May 2026

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At Yarner Wood, on the eastern edge of Dartmoor, Pied Fycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) are the quintessential stars of the spring. Arriving in mid-April after an incredible 3,000-mile migration from sub-Saharan Africa, these tiny, 13-gram summer visitors seek out the reserve's ancient, shady sessile oak woodlands. The breeding males are strikingly dapper with their crisp black-and-white ("pied") plumage, prominent white wing patches, and a telltale white spot above the bill. The females are a more subtle, camouflaged olive-brown but share the same elegant, compact shape.    Yarner Wood is a famous stronghold for the species due to a decades-long conservation project managed by Natural England, which features an extensive network of specialized nest boxes. Because mature trees with natural cavities have become scarce, the flycatchers have adapted beautifully to these ready-made boxes, making them exceptionally rewarding to spot.   You can usually find them perched on lower ...
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Week in Norfolk, May 2026

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A week in the Caravan, mostly pottering about the North Norfolk coast, when the weather was amenable. The star of the trip was the one-eyed Bittern that appeared in front of the Daukes Hide at Cley. A fantastic encounter. The bird seemed to be known to the local birders.   Bitterns, after facing national extinction in the late 19th century and dropping to just 11 booming males in 1997, have recovered dramatically, with numbers climbing past 200 breeding males. Pair of Golden Plover, also at Cley Meadow Pipit , at Cley Bullfinch and Stock Dove at Sculthorpe. Very distant shots of the long-staying Black winged Kite , over Hempstead Marsh. Crow making life hard for a Buzzard over Hempstead Marsh Male Marsh Harrier,  distant Cuckoo and Common Tern at Sculthorpe Common Sandpiper and Temminck's Stint at Cley. And finally, shots of Stone Curlew at Weeting, totally destroyed by heat haze, as usual!
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