Holme Dunes NWT, Chosely Drying Barns, Thornham 10th May 2017
Holmes Dunes NWT
A break in the weather meant we at last had a nice sunny day so we hoped that more birds would be showing and that proved to be the case. We headed off the Holme Dunes NWT reserve and because we were there before opening time, we could not get past the barrier. No matter because our aim was to search for Turtle Doves along the coastal path at the back of the rather swish houses there.
The whole area was teeming with Whitethroats and on the sea side of the path in the shallow pools a few Avocet and Gulls were feeding. We got a couple of Long-tailed Tits and then started to hear a Turtle Dove “purring”; try as we might, however, we just could not see one. We met several people on the path, all with the same idea, but none of them had seen the doves.
We returned to the car and headed to the reception where we had a quick cup of tea before heading off to the hides which turned out to be pretty quiet though there were the usual Avocets and Ducks on in the pools. There were Reed Warblers and more Whitethroats and, in the paddock, we got several Wheatear at close range and a Whinchat at the opposite side of the paddock but perched nicely for scoped views.
We continued by taking the path through the woods in the Thornham direction but got rather annoyed at the huge number of people with dogs, some with several, and some with their dogs off the lead despite clear signs saying that it was a reserve and that they should be kept under close control on a lead ! Be that as it may we got good views of Skylark and Linnet and Sedge Warbler and there were Marsh Harriers in the air often.
Things were less doggy when we went on to the Norfolk Ornithological Association site which abuts the Holme Woods NWT where dogs are not allowed and where you have to pay £3 each for entry at the office at the bottom of the path that you reach from the coastal path.
Here were more Sedge and Reed Warblers, Linnets, Whitethroat and even a brief glimpse of a Lesser Whitethroat that someone pointed out to us. It is actually a rather small reserve and we were soon through it and back at the car park of the NWT reserve.
Chosely Drying Barns
We thought that we would go up to Chosely Drying Barns after Holme Dunes hoping to perhaps see the Dotterel again and maybe Corn Bunting and Yellowhammer. Well, we were disappointed on all these counts as the Dotterel seem to have gone and the others were not to be seen despite the fine weather. As compensation, we got even more great Marsh Harrier views and a very close flyby of a Red Kite, a bird increasingly common in these parts. We continued with frequent stops at field to try to locate some Grey Partridge but with no luck – every Partridge was of the Red-legged variety and they were numerous. An extremely close view of a Skylark foraging was the only plus to this futile search of the fields.
Back at Thornham we took a drive out to the harbour before returning to the cottage and we heard a Cuckoo calling but there wasn’t much around the tide being a long way out.
Bird Sightings : Holme Dunes NWT
| Greylag Goose | 20 |
| Mute Swan | 1 |
| Common Shelduck | 2 |
| Gadwall | 2 |
| Mallard | 6 |
| Northern Shoveler | 1 |
| Common Pheasant | 8 |
| Great Cormorant | 40 |
| Grey Heron | 1 |
| Little Egret | 1 |
| Eurasian Marsh Harrier | 5 |
| Common Buzzard | 1 |
| Common Moorhen | 5 |
| Common Coot | 4 |
| Pied Avocet | 6 |
| Eurasian Oystercatcher | 4 |
| Northern Lapwing | 6 |
| Eurasian Curlew | 2 |
| Black-headed Gull | 14 |
| Herring Gull | 30 |
| Common Wood Pigeon | 10 |
| European Turtle Dove | 1 |
| Common Kestrel | 1 |
| Eurasian Magpie | 4 |
| Eurasian Jackdaw | 8 |
| Sky Lark | 4 |
| Barn Swallow | 10 |
| Great Tit | 1 |
| Eurasian Blue Tit | 1 |
| Long-tailed Tit | 3 |
| Eurasian Wren | 2 |
| Cetti’s Warbler | 2 |
| Common Chiffchaff | 3 |
| Sedge Warbler | 6 |
| Eurasian Reed Warbler | 3 |
| Lesser Whitethroat | 1 |
| Common Whitethroat | 14 |
| European Robin | 4 |
| Whinchat | 1 |
| Northern Wheatear | 4 |
| Eurasian Blackbird | 3 |
| Dunnock | 2 |
| Common Chaffinch | 4 |
| European Greenfinch | 6 |
| European Goldfinch | 6 |
| Common Linnet | 4 |
Bird Sightings : Chosely Drying Barns
| Red-legged Partridge | 20 |
| Eurasian Marsh Harrier | 2 |
| Red Kite | 1 |
| Sky Lark | 1 |
| Barn Swallow | 10 |
| Eurasian Wren | 1 |
| Pied Wagtail | 2 |
| Common Chaffinch | 2 |
| European Goldfinch | 4 |
Bird Sightings : Thornham
| Common Shelduck | 1 |
| Pied Avocet | 2 |
| Eurasian Oystercatcher | 1 |
| Black-headed Gull | 6 |
| Eurasian Collared Dove | 2 |
| Common Cuckoo | 1 |
| European Greenfinch | 1 |
