26.10.2024 - Outdoor Meeting : Thornham

​Leader: Ptolemy McKinnon
Reporter: Mandy Etherington

As we gathered at Thornham Harbour for a 9 am start, the overall feeling of the group was one of surprise. We had all left home in thick mist which had lingered until just as we approached Thornham when the sky suddenly cleared, and the sun came out. In fact, it was a beautiful morning, and although the sunshine didn't last, it was mild, still and the light was good.

Almost immediately we heard a Cettis Warbler and a Skylark. A skein of Pink Footed Geese flew overhead - the sight & sound is always a pleasure. I soon realised that Ptolemy was going to be a good guide as he identified a Brambling flying quite high over us after hearing just a brief call!
Thornham Harbour is very picturesque with the former Coal Barn a feature in a seeming limitless landscape. We headed to the barn first, just as a Great White Egret flew over. There seemed to be birds all around us - flocks of Starling and Linnet in the air and Curlew and Redshank wading in the mud. A Greenshank flew in to join them. Looking back towards the cars, a Kestrel was in a scuffle with a Carrion Crow.
As we walked along the sea wall there were 2 Godwits - the first a Black-Tailed with some beautiful summer plumage still evident. The other was noticeably smaller with a shorter bill - could it be a Bar-Tailed? It didn't have the scalloping plumage that you would expect to see but nevertheless the general consensus was that we were seeing the two species side by side. My eyes, however, were drawn to a male Teal that was near to the Godwits - the last glimpse of sun was highlighting its beautiful colours. I think it is easy to sometimes forget and overlook the ducks that visit us in such numbers in the winter but when you pay attention this Teal, and the Wigeon that were also present, really are worth taking a second look at.

There was plenty more bird life as we continued along the sea wall, scanning fields, sky & the mud. A Chinese Water Deer was a treat to see and there seemed to be Starlings every which way. Ptolemy saw a Bittern but none of the rest of us were quick enough to spot it. As we got nearer to Holme, we paused at the sluice gate as we heard the telltale ping of Bearded Tit, and sure enough a few flew up out of the reeds and most of us got a glimpse of them, and of a Kingfisher that sped through.
Once on to the boardwalk and looking out towards the sea, the cry ‘Short Eared Owl’ went up. Despite best efforts, only two members of the group saw it, but the rest of us did see a Marsh Harrier, and shortly afterwards a lovely male Stonechat obligingly perched atop the scrub.
Once we reached Broadwater, we could very clearly hear Water Rail. Then, along with Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Little Grebe & Shoveler, a first for me - a Scaup. It was very busy diving but stayed up enough for us all to get a good view. Four Pintail flew in and immediately started feeding, giving us good views of their (pin) tails!
Holme Observatory is run by the NOA (Norfolk Ornithologists Association) which is a conservation organisation dedicated to the scientific study of birds and other wildlife. It has four visitor reserves in Norfolk, and Holme is the principal reserve and an accredited Bird Observatory, ideally located to study bird migration. We all agreed we would like to go in and received a very warm welcome from Sophie Barker, the warden. She had saved a number of migrant moths (see below for list) that had been trapped the previous night and passed them around for us all to see. She then offered to give a talk on ringing, which included an explanation about the record keeping (there are continuous records there since 1993, although ringing has been taking place there since the 1960's). I wondered if this meant they were always catching the same birds but no, the resident birds learn to avoid the nets, unless they are being chased or fighting. Smaller birds are held in the hand but larger birds including Raptors are wedged against the body and held under the arm. This usually means their heads (& sharp beaks) are well out of the way but Sophie, now an extremely experienced ringer, did tell us that kestrels are particularly flexible and the first time she ringed one it managed to wiggle around and peck and draw blood on every one of her knuckles!
Those who didn’t listen to the talk went down to the hide overlooking Broadwater and were lucky enough to see one of the vocal Water Rails and a perched Kingfisher, both of which were firsts for some. Mediterranean Gull, Redpoll and Sisken were also added to the list here.
By this time, we were all ready for lunch so headed to the Visitor Centre at Holme Dunes for refreshment & facilities, before heading out onto the dunes. We were hoping for Redwing but there few about, although plenty of Dunnock and another Stonechat. Also, a Waxcap - was it Parrot or Vermilion? I think in the end it was identified as being Scarlet Waxcap - it was certainly red! As we turned back towards the VC and looked down on the beach we saw a solitary Sanderling, and a flock of Brent flew in. We lingered onthe sand for a while and saw Great Crested Grebe on the sea.

We started to head back to be Thornham Harbour at high tide. We scanned the cattle in the fields south of the sea wall and sure enough 3 Cattle Egret had joined them. The number of Starling had increased, and they were enjoying communal bathing in the muddy water in the field. There is something about watching a bird having a bath that never fails to bring a smile to my face.

As we returned to our vantage point looking towards Thornham Harbour, there were large numbers of birds on the beach, but they were very distant and difficult to see. However, a Rock Pipit posed on a nearby post and one of the Red Breasted Merganser that had been spotted on the water flew by closer to us. Feeding in the mud were 2 Godwit. This time there was no doubt that one was a Black-tailed and one a Bar-tailed as the plumage on the latter was very clear. The Brent Geese, waders and ducks that were close by suddenly took off as a Peregrine flew through. Then a shout 'Ringtail' and a female Hen Harrier flew across the marshes towards Titchwell. This seemed the perfect time for me to head back to the car, especially as it was starting to rain.
Many thanks to everyone for such a good day, but especially to Ptolemy who was an excellent leader.

Moths (seen at NOA)
Narrow-winged Grey
Clancy's Rustic
Olive-tree Pearl
Vapour (male)
Red-line Quaker
Scarce Bordered straw
Black Rustic
Rusty-dot Pearl
Large Wainscot
Light Brown Apple Moth
Large Yellow Underwing
Oak Rustic

Mammals
Chinese Water Deer

Bird List (82 species)
Thornham Marshes/Harbour/shore (T)
NOA Holme (NOA)
Broadwater (B)
NWT Holme Dunes (HD)
Holme Dunes Seashore/Sea (S)
* heard flying over
Greylag Goose (T)
Pink-footed Goose(T)
Brent Goose (S,T)
Mute Swan (B)
Shelduck (T)
Shoveler (B)
Wigeon (T,B)
Mallard (T,B)
Pintail (B)
Teal (T,B)
Tufted Duck (B)
Scaup (B)
Red-breasted Merganser (T)
Pheasant (T,HD)
Woodpigeon (T)
Water Rail (B)
Moorhen (B)
Coot (B)
Little Grebe (B)
Great Crested Grebe (S)
Oystercatcher (T,S)
Lapwing (T)
Grey Plover (T)
Ringed Plover (S)
Curlew (T)
Bar-tailed Godwit (T)
Black-tailed Godwit (T)
Sanderling (S)
Dunlin (T)
Snipe (T)h
Redshank (T)
Greenshank (T)
Black-headed Gull (T)
Mediterranean Gull (NOA)
Common Gull (T)
Great Black-backed Gull (T)
Herring Gull (T)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (T)
Red-throated Diver (S)
Cormorant (S,T)
Bittern (T)
Cattle Egret (T)
Grey Heron (T)
Great White Egret (T,NOA)
Little Egret (T)
Sparrowhawk (T, HD)
Marsh Harrier (T)
Hen Harrier (T), a Ring-tail
Buzzard (T)
Short-eared Owl (T)
Kingfisher (B,T)
Kestrel (T)
Peregrine (T)
Magpie (T)
Jackdaw (T)
Carrion Crow (T)
Coal Tit (NOA)
Blue Tit (T,NOA)
Great Tit (NOA)
Bearded Tit (T)
Skylark (T)
Cetti's Warbler (T)
Long-tailed Tit (NOA)
Goldcrest (NOA)
Wren (NOA, HD)
Starling (T)
Redwing (HD)
Blackbird (T, HD)
Robin (T, NOA)
Stonechat (T,HD)
Dunnock (T)
Pied Wagtail (T)
Meadow Pipit (T)
Rock Pipit (T)
Chaffinch (T,NOA)
Brambling (T)*
Greenfinch (T)*
Linnet (T)
Redpoll (NOA)*
Goldfinch (HD)
Siskin (NOA)*
Reed Bunting (T)