"Great" was the word for November.

November was a changeable month weather wise but it did enable some decent spells of seawatching as well as on land bringing no less than 4 New Birds for the patch!

Sun 3rd Nov

This single Brambling was a nice sight from the kitchen window, mixed in with a large flock of Goldfinches.

Tues 5th Nov

I got word in the afternoon of a large movement of Gannet and Kittiwakes all heading east, it wasn't long before I had gotten myself geared up and was heading round to the clifftop and what a spectacle it turned out to be, and the numbers of birds passing were in their hundreds.

 There were a lot of young Gannets passing and this Peregrine circled overhead which immediately drew the attentions of the local Kestrels, who drove it further along the coast.

 

Wed 6th Nov

After the previous days movement I again set up on the clifftop to see what stragglers were still moving through and also in the hope of catching up with one of the numerous Pomarine Skuas that were being reported off the coasts. I watched Brent geese, common scoter and auks passing then I watched a commotion going on with some gulls just along the front from me?

.....SKUA.... it had to be surely?

As it chased the gulls with no joy of getting one to disgorge its food, it headed towards me. by now I was snapping as many shots as possible and as it came closer I was buzzing with the thought of getting a POM! And a New Patch Tick.

Fri 8th Nov

Sadly the Pallid Swift that was showing well just along the coast at Sidestrand did not venture towards Trimingham, despite frantically getting to the cliffs in the hope it would pass through there was no more sightings in either direction, just a male Goosander overhead to ease the pain!

Fri 15th Nov

This group of Gadwall were a welcome addition to my Patch List.

Sat 16th Nov

A message from one of the local boys of a Great Grey Shrike near the main clifftop wood had me in a state of panic, grabbing my gear I set off at a pace and a few minutes later I was with the finder trying to locate where the bird had got to, flying from the cliff slopes it headed straight for the main wood on the clifftop. After searching the edges with no luck we slowly moved through the wood, after a short time we picked up a commotion going on between a robin and wren! a good sign something was stressing them out and sure enough we located the Shrike, tucked in a privet copse with freshly caught prey which looked like a vole. It had no doubt caught it in the grassy slopes and then had flown into the wood to devour it. 

 After finishing the meal off it promptly moved to the outer edge of the wood before disappearing back into it, and after carefully checking around the outside edge of the wood and no further sign of the bird for some time, we thought it must of departed straight out the other side and so I decided to bid farewell to Simon and thanked him for this much appreciated New Patch Tick and head home. As I walked off along the track I casually glanced around to look at the hedgeline adjacent to the wood and low and behold what was sitting up top.....GGS! Where it had been hiding out or indeed just watching us walk beneath it perhaps I don't know but it wasn't there when we walked past and checked. Time to turn and head back and this time it stayed put and gave us both a fantastic showing before it headed off inland...now it was time to head home...with such a buzz you could of called me a bee!!

Mon 18th Nov

Seawatching again today and a great spectacle and another New Patch Tick!

As any flock of wildfowl came in range I would check in the hope of a Long tailed duck, this flock though were Wigeon, and whilst following them I witnessed them all of a sudden shoot straight up into the air as if slamming into a glass window? Then I picked up why...a Peregrine Falcon had shot straight into the flock in the hope of connecting with one. 

In the photo below the Peregrine is on the left to the front of the group.

 Here you can see the Peregrine had seperated the flock and homed in on a couple, they promptly dived straight into the water to evade it, it then moved away and the wigeon continued on their way.

 And my next Patch Tick came in a pair of Red Breasted Mergansers.

Fri 29th Nov

I spent a few hours today checking the seas, even if it's quiet I still enjoy the peacefulness and the thought that anything could pass through, you just don't know? There had been a few groups of duck through with Eider, Common Scoter and a single female Goldeneye so there were birds passing even if not continually. Red throated divers were passing through and then I picked out a larger diver coming my way.... Great Northern Diver. An excellent bird to finish the month on, I had been waiting for one to pass what with all the sightings coming through, so this was a great diver and great addition to the Patch List which jumped up to 172. 

Great Northern Diver

A good month of birds and quiet on the moths.

October came around so fast and with hopes of some new stuff to record. 

Tuesday 1st Oct

Mistle thrush and a couple of Egyptian geese were a good start and with the prospect of the next day being a good seawatching day brought hope.

Wednesday 2nd Oct

Indeed there seemed to be a lot of birds passing out to sea, good numbers of Brent Geese and Shelduck, and groups of Common Scoter and Wigeon but not on the same scale, just Curlew were seen on the wader side species.

Thursday 3rd Oct

The seas had calmed but just off the coast I counted 18+ Red-throated Divers, The big movement of Jays was prominent, 8 in one flock flew over the garden, a lot of Skylark were passing over too, inland on the afternoon dog walk I saw a Stonechat and Peregrine.

Friday 4th Oct

Today I found my first Redwings and Brambling of the autumn, the Brambling was a lone bird mixed in with a flock of Chaffinch. 

Saturday 5th Oct

Today brought a lot more Redwing around the village, also seen were a few Goldcrest and a Blackcap and a possible Yellow Browed Warbler calling but it couldn't be found after hearing just the one call!

But definitely the event of the day was the sighting of 6 Water Spouts distantly out to sea, the weather conditions were obviously spot on as a cloudy system moved in, there were reports of the spouts from here along to Cley.

Here you can see the start of the funnel emerging from the clouds.

Monday 7th Oct

Two nice birds today and both opposite each other, first I watched and photographed a Black Redstart and then a Ring Ouzel.

Thursday 10th Oct

4 Swallows heading east were probably the last group we would see passing.

Sunday 13th Oct

A Nuthatch was a welcome sight on the morning dog walk, and there was a big fall of Blackbirds, they seemed to be everywhere. A single House Martin feeding over the clifftop was a nice and last sighting of the month. With reports of Ring Ouzel along the coast I was eager to add them to the garden list, and sure enough after plenty of watching I had 2 birds fly low over the garden giving me my 100th garden bird species since moving here just over 2 years ago. 

I was still seeing Hummingbird Hawkmoths occasionally and another Swallow put in a fly past.

Tuesday 15th Oct

I watched 100's of Thrushes flying in from over the sea, all at different heights but mostly all were Redwing, with some Song Thrush, I also managed to see just 1 Fieldfare, the first of the autumn.

Wednesday 16th Oct

With Redwing and Blackbird still all over the place it was nice to see Yellowhammer and Bullfinch down the back lanes, and Lapwing passing over.

Thursday 17th Oct

Today was Sarah and my anniversary so we took the dogs for a lovely walk around Kelling water meadows and along to Salthouse, a lot of Curlew flew over and landed on the flooded meadow, what a lovely sound hearing them, but even more welcome were some confiding Bearded Tits and then a calling Cetti's Warbler.

Monday 21st Oct

Today was a seawatching day, and there were plenty of birds moving along the coast.

Plenty of Eider were pushed closer, lots of auks flying through and sitting on the sea, I picked out both Razorbill and Guillemot and with a number of Little Auk on the move I was hopeful of picking one out and luck was on my side as I saw a single bird pass through.

Wednesday 23rd Oct

There were a lot feeding frenzies going on between Trimingham and Sidestrand, numerous schools of fish came to the surface and were jumping out of the water, the presence of these brought in hundreds of gulls and the frenzy went on for nearly an hour. Up at Sidestrand we watched a Marsh Tit flit past us and head off along the clifftops, and a single Swallow fly by.

Monday 28th Oct

The day before a group of 6 Snow Bunting had been reported in the fields between Trimingham and Sidestrand so this morning we walked the dogs along that stretch and were lucky enough to find 3 Snow Bunting feeding among the grassy crop field.

A Woodcock was flushed from the lanes later that day, no doubt I'll be seeing more in the woodland.

Tuesday 29th Oct

A lot of Starlings had been moving over in smaller groups but during the afternoon a huge flock had congregated near the clifftop wood and were feeding on the slopes, later 2 groups numbering around 500 in total passed over the garden.

Thursday 31st Oct

So that brings us to the last day of the month and it turned out to be a good day, first, the fields that held the Snow Buntings had been ploughed and literally as I scanned and said to Sarah " the Golden Plover will be returning now its ploughed" I picked out 5 plover sat in the middle of the field! 

Then approaching the end of the walk with the dogs, I stopped to search through a feeding flock of tits only to find a stunning little Firecrest, what a mornings walk and the day hadn't finished there, early afternoon I popped round to the clifftop to have a scan, it was quiet out to sea and not a lot in the scrub but then flying along over the sea I picked out 2 Great White Egrets heading my way!

Though appearing quiet through October looking back at the reports it certainly didn't show that way, ...Oh and there's not forgetting the mothing!

Now mothing was definitely quieter than it had been, the weather wasn't great to leave the trap out on most nights and not a lot of moths came to the trap when it was out, but I managed a few new garden ticks.

 Grey Shoulder-Knot

 Beaded Chestnut

 Dark Chestnut

 Red-Line Quaker

 Large Wainscot

Brick

"The Swifts depart and the Geese return" .September 2019.

Common Buzzard

 September started hopeful with a few birds starting to move around. Buzzards were starting to pass overhead and a Juv Peregrine was seen hunting around the clifftop and fields on a couple of days. There were a few groups of Swifts still passing through, but the numbers were lessening. On the 3rd whilst walking the dogs, Sarah and I watched 5 Wheatear move from the undercliff to the field adjacent. 

Teal

 Seabirds and wildfowl were moving through slowly, Red throated divers were returning, flocks of Teal and Scoter increased and a few Arctic Skuas headed up the coast. I managed to get a new patch tick when a single Purple Sandpiper flew past on the 5th. House Martin numbers increased with large groups feeding over the main clifftop wood.

B2 Stealth Bomber

 The 11th of the month was to be the last day I would see Swifts with 2 past, but something I did not expect to see "fly in off the sea" was a B2 Stealth Bomber!!! Quickly running for my camera I was able to get a couple of shots before it banked and headed towards Overstrand, this was the first time I had seen one and it definitely left us all buzzing after watching it fly past.

Mid month and the geese had once again started to return, a group of 50+ was just the start and every day we heard them pass over and in ever increasing numbers, so nice to be hearing them again, makes up for loosing the swifts in the sky.

Common Redstart

The 17th to the 22nd turned out to be a rewarding time, on the 17th I added a truly unexpected new garden tick....a Great Skua flew high over the house!! I couldn't believe it, the bird was then seen over Sidestrand before heading out to sea. Hummingbird Hawkmoth was becoming daily on the verbena and I watched 2 feeding together on one day. The 18th added another unexpected garden tick, whilst in the garden I noticed something shoot across the paddock behind and then it called as it flew off.....a Kingfisher!!

There was a large movement of Jays going on and groups could be heard making a racket all over the place, 6 over the house together was the largest flock I saw but well into double figures of birds passing through.

Common Redstart

 The 22nd was a manic day from the garden, during the morning I stepped out of the house to find Sarah and my Dad looking at a bird in the Holy tree outside the door, having just flown into the tree it then took flight and landed in a neighbours tree....Redstart!! what a welcome garden tick that was and unlike previous Redstart on the patch this one kept still long enough for a couple of photos. There was obviously a lot of flies on the wing as the gulls seemed to be filling the sky feeding on them, a large number of Med Gulls passed over the house, all I had to do was sit on the bench and photograph them flying over, this seems to be a regular event as I have the photographed the Med Gulls doing the same the first year we moved here. Sarah alerted me to a flock of large birds starting to gather high over the church amongst the gulls, a loud raucous calling started and a circling group of 17 Grey Herons appeared all of a sudden, I have never seen a large group of herons like this before all together.

But the 22nd hadn't finished yet!! Scroll down for the next bird species.

Med Gull 

  Med Gull

 Med Gull

 Med Gull

 Med Gull

Grey Herons

With reports of Great White Egrets on the move, a group of four were seen heading east past Cley, they were then reported moving east past Sheringham towards Cromer....fingers crossed. ( I had seen 2 GWE's the year before but did not have a camera with me at the time) Then the report came through to me that they were passing Overstrand and still heading this way...time to grab the big lens and head round to the front, well I actually ran, meeting my Dad there we started to scan the skies and sure enough they came into view passing Overstrand and then Sidestrand, I then got plenty of photos before they gracefully passed down the coast.

 Great White Egrets

 Great White Egrets

Great White Egrets

As the month progressed, on the 26th whilst out walking the dogs along the coastal path, all of a sudden Sarah frantically alerted me ( I was checking the mobile at the time) to a Short eared owl that shot up from the undercliff only to be confronted with us standing there, it flew along the cliff edge and proceeded to hunt the grasses, unsuccessfully diving at something it moved further along, as we carried along the path we again watched it hunting but this time it managed to catch a vole, it then flew out over the sea and proceeded to eat it in flight before heading back to the cliffs. A fantastic sight to end the month on.

Black Rustic

 Mothing during the month on the other hand was dire, the weather just wasn't good enough on most nights here or I trapped the same previously recorded species, but I did manage to get 2 new year and garden ticks, the Black Rustic and Lunar Underwing of which I trapped quite a few, hopefully October is not a wash out as I try to add new species still on the wing.

Lunar Underwings