What a difference a day makes! The last 6 days have been very windy (33.8mph gust yesterday afternoon) and no good for anything. Typical, as they have been my last weeks' leave for this year.
However, today was now it should have been. Sunny, calm and surprisingly warm in the sun so I decided to get the nets open.
There was a steady supply of birds all day with a final total of 23 new and 6 re-traps. Greenfinch (10) and blackbird (7) made up the majority but a couple of goldfinch and chaffinch added some interest. Apart from the tree sparrows this morning there were a few other goodies about. A female brambling in the trees wouldn't drop down and a fly-over redpoll didn't even slow down.

Back in the autumn I caught a great tit that had come from Kevin's garden in Brancaster and with it was a blue tit that wasn't from our scheme. I have just had the information back from the BTO and it was ringed in Guist back in the summer. An interesting movement especially as both birds were in the same flock and within a few feet of each other in the net.

Just added a new species to the garden list - 2 tree sparrows (87) over calling while opening mist nets.

Too windy today so the normal Saturday ringing session canceled.

Decided to try the NOA site at Hempton Marsh in the hope the feeders would be sheltered from the wind. The light wasn't good but at least is was fairly calm. The birds were a bit hit and miss and there were long spells with nothing on the feeders. Highlights were single singing marsh and willow tits although neither ventured onto the feeders.

Good numbers of tits present. At least 11 long-tails, 10 great, 7 blue and a coal. 2 great spots, 2 jays and a load of chaffinch were also present. 40 goldfinches in the alders but no redpoll.

Photos with DSLR today.

Despite the very windy conditions (30mph in the night!), I decided to Holkham and have a look for some geese. It started well with 15 white fronts really close to Lady Anne's Drive. Although it was very windy, poor light and I was trying to shelter behind a tree, I don't think these shots are too bad. They are certainly better that anything I got with my Nikon Coolpix and all the digiscoping extras. Can't wait for some sunny days with decent light.

Most of the geese had already gone but from the Joe Jordan hide there was another flock of white fronts but at least 150 this time. They are cracking when you can see them up close. Pinkies were moving past in small groups and one of them included the adult Ross's that has been kicking about. Some people who were already in the hide had seen a rough-leg drop onto the ground but the only bird that I saw while I was there was common buzzard. They had described the bird as having a pale base to the tail so it was probably still sitting our of sight somewhere.

A quick look at the sea produced a few red-throated divers, eider and great-crested grebes but little else and Holkham Gap had just a few skylarks.

18 corn buntings at Choseley drying barns on the was home was the only other sighting of note.

Had a bit of a mooch along the coast today.

Highlights were:-

Cley - American wigeon with small wigeon flock by the east bank and 2 adult pale bellied brent geese in the same area. 2 adult and a juv pale bellied brents were with the large flock of dark bellies buy the beach carpark.

Stopped off at the Stiffkey roadside flood which was looking cracking - full of water and ducks. 83 pintail, 480 teal, 492 wigeon, 35 gadwall, 30 shoveler and 15 black tailed godwits.

Ended the afternoon at the Warham Greens roost. A nice surprise came in the from of 22 pale bellied brent geese and an adult black brant with the brent flock that was commuting between the arable fields and the saltmarsh. 8 ringtail hen and 2 female marsh harriers were in the roost.

Had a decent day garden ringing on Sunday. Highlights were 2 lesser redpoll and a small flock of 7 long-tailed tits of which 4 stumbled into the nets.

Blackbird - 2 new, 1 re-trap
Greenfinch - 8 new
Chaffinch - 1 new
Goldfinch - 3 new
Long-tailed tit - 4 new
Blue tit - 1 new, 1 re-trap
Dunnock - 1 re-trap

Pretty good afternoon at work today. Loads of people about despite the cold wind and they were probably attracted by the continuing quality of birds.

There are still loads of passerines on the brackish marsh, 121 skylark, 40 twite and 25 snow bunts today, the Northern harrier is still performing well and there has been 3 ringtails and male hen harriers in the last couple of days.

The highlight of the afternoon was finally catching up with the elusive hooded crow. Despite being around since before Christmas I never caught up with it for my 2010 list. While showing some visitors the 2 redhead smew I saw it fly through my bins and land on one of the islands. It was about for most of the afternoon but was still mobile and spent most of its time on the saltmarsh. It was a reserve tick taking my list to 257.

Usual excuses for the bad images but the light was pretty crappy.