A drake Ferruginous Duck was in the Wroxham Broad area 14^th-21^st. Also found there were a Red-necked Grebe, Great Northern Diver, Scaup and a female Ring-necked Duck was in the area 21^st, presumably the Whitlingham bird. A Black-bellied Dipper was found on the River Stiffkey at Houghton St Giles 29^th.

A Rough-legged Buzzard was in the Hickling area 3rd -8^th and it or others were then seen over Kelling Heath 10^th, Stanhoe 11^th and Wighton 14^th. A Great Grey Shrike wintered in west Norfolk at Castle Rising and Dersingham Bog NNR. There was no news of the one seen last month in the Grimes Graves/Santon Downham area of The Brecks but there was one at was Mundesley 7^th

Single Iceland Gulls were seen at Cley NWT, Blackborough End Tip and Aldeby Tip. The juvenile Glaucous Gull remained in the Salthouse, Cley NWT, Kelling area and others were seen at Blackborough End Tip and Aldeby Tip.

A wandering Ross’s Goose was among the Pink-feet at Repps-with-Bastwick, Martham, Thorpe Marshes, Burgh Castle, Burney Marshes RSPB, Bradwell, east of Acle and Buckenham Marshes RSPB throughout December.

The Taiga Bean Geese were at Cantley Marshes and Buckenham Marshes RSPB but numbers seemed to decline during the month or perhaps, which seems more likely, the main flock is feeding somewhere nearby. This flock is though, renowned for leaving this wintering area very early in the New Year.

Up to sixteen Tundra Bean Geese were at Langham, Blakeney Freshmarsh NT, Sharrington  and Cley NWT, a maximum of nine Welney WWT, two at Waxham, two Shernborne, one Amner and two east of Acle. Black Brants were at Stiffkey, Holkham, up to two Wells and Titchwell RSPB.

The only Smew was at Tottenhill GPs and a Scaup was at Whitlingham CP. Inland (to varying degrees) were a couple of Shags at Denver Sluice and one at Wells Quay.

More usually seen during warmer months were a late Wheatear at Horsey 14^th and Black Redstart was there 21st, a Sandwich Tern past Sheringham 15^th, a Siberian Chiffchaff in Norwich 7^th and a Little Stint at Cley NWT. A Storm Petrel was seen off Cley 1^st and a Pomarine Skua flew over Salthouse 1^st. A male Serin was briefly at Glandford 18^th.

This article was written by Robin Chittenden from Birdline East Anglia.

 

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