Another 3 Bite the Dust!
Another 3 Bite the Dust!
image from mentor Rob from 28/10
We set off at 1.30am in hopes of seeing an Alpine Accentor. We arrived in Slaughden at around 7:00am. When we arrived, it was quite dark, so we walked towards Martello Tower and waited with the many other birders. We met birders Matt and George who told us there was a lump on a pipe in a crack at the tower. They said it was the Alpine Accentor because it roosted there overnight. It was around 7:13am so the light was getting better, making it easier to make out the bird. They let us look through the scope and I managed to get a good view of it. It was definitely the Alpine Accentor, with multiple people saying that, because we could make out the yellow on the bill, chestnut flanks, and the white spots on the wing. After enjoying it, it flew onto the roof and just before 7:30am, took off flying high away from us. We then looked for it for 4 hours knowing that it did this yesterday. We met some great birders including Rob K, Brook and Chris, but had no luck with the bird. We did, however, see a few Dark-bellied Brent Geese on the marsh, a juvenile Common Tern on a buoy, and multiple Rock & Meadow Pipits flitting about.
We then met David Walsh, Ben R, his dad and a few other birders, who had sadly dipped the bird, and they recommended we went to West Runton next- for a Hoopoe- and then Salthouse for the Long-billed Dowitcher (aka The Dowitcher). So, we left and set off to West Runton and arrived there at around 1:30pm. When we arrived, we met Simon & Dawn, who we had met on multiple twitches, and they said the Hoopoe wasn't showing and wasn't worth the wait as they are annual and only scarce, plus we would definitely be able to see them again with better views. So, we then left and headed off to Salthouse for The Dowitcher and some Shorelark.
When we got there, we asked someone if the Shorelarks or The Dowitcher were showing, and he told us the Shorelarks were showing. This bird had been on my Top 10 Wanted List since I started twitching in March. So even though it was less rare than the Dowitcher I focused my time on looking for it. I then met someone named Fiona who let me look through her scope a few times, allowing me good views of my wanted Shorelarks. She also let me take a digiscoped image of it. There were 3 of them mixed in a flock with hundreds of Linnets, Skylarks, and Meadow Pipits.
After enjoying the Shorelarks, I turned my attention to the rarer Long-billed Dowitcher. This North American vagrant was a juvenile rotating between Cley & here. We met a couple who let me look through their scope, which was pointed at the Long-billed Dowitcher, and they let me take a digiscoped image of it. It was my third and final lifer of the day- with the Shorelarks and the Alpine Accentor being the other two- It showed well, sometimes very close, and other times fairly close. Also present in the pool were many Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin, 2 Kingfishers flying through, and a Marsh Harrier hunting at the back of the pool. We finally made our way to Holkham. On the way, we did spot a Red-legged Partridge, however, no confirmed Grey Partridges in the fields.
We parked at Lady Anne's Drive, getting good views of a flyover Red Kite, which flew close overhead, and a Muntjac. I had not yet seen a Muntjac as they aren't so common where I live in the Northwest, so to see one showing well in a field was a privilege for me.
We then walked over to Holkham Gap in hopes of seeing a Black-throated Diver. On the way there, we met Simon & Dawn again heading back, saying they had seen lots of Red-throated Divers & Great Crested Grebes as well as a few Slavonian Grebes. They also said they had seen the Black-throated Diver. They described it as a Red-throated Diver on steroids! They said it was distant and I was unlikely to see it with my scope, it needed a better magnification. We walked towards the dunes and scanned the sea, ever hopeful. We spotted 1 Red-throated Diver and 3 Sanderlings in the fading light. As we were heading back, I spotted two small birds landing on the dunes in front of us. After getting them in my binoculars, I immediately got some footage, and a few photos, of them. They were Snow Buntings. After enjoying (and reporting) them, we headed home at around 6.30pm after an amazing day. The Snow Buntings were the second notable birds I had self-found (with the first being a Short-eared Owl at RSPB Hesketh-Out-Marsh).
Overall, as always, a brilliant day birding!
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