Mead Gardens

With my last full day coming round far too quickly, it was a case of selecting a site which could offer the most potential of adding a new species or two, and Mead Gardens was chosen as that likely location. Situated in northeast Orlando, on the north side of Lake Sue, similar to Leu Gardens, the site provides an excellent bit of habitat in the middle of surburbia for both resident species and birds passing through on migration.

The main reason for the visit was the reports of Barred Owls being seen regularly there, and shortly after arrival I had the fortune to bump into the park ranger who kindly led me to the area of trees where they had been seen, and to my obvious delight the two Barred Owls were still there roosting out in the open.

Checking out the rest of the gardens, a Coopers Hawk flew through, briefly alighting in a tree before flying off again, and then a Red-shouldered Hawk flew down to the nearby stream to have a bathe before flying up onto a bench to dry out.

Palm Warbler, Northern Cardinals and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were all noted as we walked along the edge of the stream, in which a Great Blue Heron was fishing.

Further along the stream 3 drake Wood Ducks were also encountered and a number of Turtles were present too.

Carrying on further we then, to our complete amazement, stumbled upon an Eastern Screech Owl roosting out in the open, and far from being spooked by our presence, it just sat there looking at us completely unconcerned!

So a really unexpected bonus, and the third Owl in two days to complete the set of four for the trip. We carried on round and came upon a large damp area covered in willows through which a boardwalk went, and which looked like it would be really good in migration times. Both Hermit Thrush and Northern Flicker were seen here, along with a Downy Woodpecker and Carolina Wren, and then heading back to the car we came across a small flock of Cedar Waxwings feeding up in the trees.

We then headed over to the nw corner of Lake Toho to the area by Kissimmee Power station which in previous years had hosted some Monk Parakeets, and although I hadn't heard of any recent reports from there, it was worth a look. Sadly none were found but it certainly wasn't a wasted journey as whilst checking out an unfamiliar call which sounded vaguely parakeet like, I discovered that the bird making the call was infact a Great Crested Flycatcher which showed well but briefly.

Also seen here whilst searching were Muscovy Ducks, a White-winged Dove and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

Lake Lizzie

Sadly my day of departure had arrived, but with a few hours before my flight we headed off for another look round the southern trails at Lake Lizzie. Gray Catbird, and Pine and Palm Warblers were seen as we walked down to the woods, where we also had Northern Parula and a White-eyed Vireo.

A few Tree Swallows and a single Purple Martin were feeding overhead, and after having not seen one for a few days, two Swallow-tailed Kites were also seen drifting over and came close enough to finally allow me to get a half decent pic of one.

Although we'd had around ten Downy Woodpeckers during the trip, I'd failed to find a Hairy, so when I found a woodpecker here hopes were again dashed as it was 'just' another Downy. However as I was watching it another woodpecker flew in and chased it off before disappearing into a nesthole and although I'd presumed that it too was also a Downy, I had some nagging doubts. Luckily I had taken a quick snap of it before it went in, and upon reviewing the photo later the longer bill, and unmarked white outer tail feathers (cf the pic of the Downy above) indeed pointed to this actually being a Hairy Woodpecker, which was the consensus too when I asked for opinions on the internet. So happily I'd finally managed to catch up with one and which would be my last new bird of the trip.

Walking round the trails further Snowy Egret and Little Blue Heron were seen, along with a Wild Turkey. Also the Owl sp. (probably a Great Horned) was again seen flying through the trees in the exact spot that it had been seen on our previous visit here, and a couple of Carolina Wrens were seen too.

Heading back towards the car park a couple of Black Vultures sat in a tree overhanging the path keeping their eye on us as we passed underneath.

Final highlight of the morning, and indeed the trip, was this Gopher Tortoise which crossed the path in front of us.

So the end of a truly brillant trip was here, with masses of great memories to take home, and I'd definitely recommend Florida as a birding destination. Altogether I recorded a total of 160 species during the trip including 97 new birds, plus a further 25 only ever seen once before on various twitches here in the UK.

The complete list is detailed below, along with the various animals and reptiles etc that we saw. A good number of both Butterflies and Dragonflies were encountered and those identified are also listed below, although sadly a number of others had to be left unidentified due to brevity of views, but hopefully I'll be revisiting the States again in the future so there's always next time...

Florida - Species recorded

The following is the complete list of species recorded during the trip:-

   1-Pied-billed Grebe
   2-American White Pelican
   3-Brown Pelican
   4-Magnificent Frigatebird
   5-Northern Gannet
   6-Anhinga
   7-Double-crested Cormorant
   8-American Bittern
   9-Least Bittern
  10-Great Blue Heron
  11-American Great White Egret
  12-Snowy Egret
  13-Reddish Egret
  14-Little Blue Heron
  15-Tricolored Heron
  16-Cattle Egret
  17-Green Heron
  18-Black-crowned Night Heron
  19-Glossy Ibis
  20-White Ibis
  21-Roseate Spoonbill
  22-Wood Stork
  23-Black-bellied Whistling Duck
  24-Muscovy Duck
  25-Wood Duck
  26-Mallard
  27-Mottled Duck
  28-American Wigeon
  29-Northern Shoveler
  30-Blue-winged Teal
  31-Redhead
  32-Lesser Scaup
  33-Ring-necked Duck
  34-Hooded Merganser
  35-Red-breasted Merganser
  36-Black Vulture
  37-Turkey Vulture
  38-Osprey
  39-Swallow-tailed Kite
  40-Snail Kite
  41-Sharp-shinned Hawk
  42-Coopers Hawk
  43-Northern Harrier
  44-Red-shouldered Hawk
  45-Red-tailed Hawk
  46-Bald Eagle
  47-Crested Caracara
  48-American Kestrel
  49-Peregrine
  50-Wild Turkey
  51-Northern Bobwhite
  52-Sora
  53-American Coot
  54-Common Gallinule
  55-American Purple Gallinule
  56-Limpkin
  57-Whooping Crane
  58-Sandhill Crane
  59-Black-bellied Plover
  60-Killdeer
  61-Semi-palmated Plover
  62-Piping Plover
  63-Snowy Plover
  64-Wilsons Plover
  65-American Oystercatcher
  66-American Avocet
  67-Black-necked Stilt
  68-Greater Yellowlegs
  69-Lesser Yellowlegs
  70-Spotted Sandpiper
  71-Willet
  72-Marbled Godwit
  73-Long-billed Curlew
  74-Ruddy Turnstone
  75-Sanderling
  76-Dunlin
  77-Western Sandpiper
  78-Least Sandpiper
  79-Stilt Sandpiper
  80-Short-billed Dowitcher
  81-Wilsons Snipe
  82-Bonapartes Gull
  83-Laughing Gull
  84-Ring-billed Gull
  85-American Herring Gull
  86-Caspian Tern
  87-Royal Tern
  88-Cabots Tern
  89-Forsters Tern
  90-Least Tern
  91-Black Skimmer
  92-White-winged Dove
  93-Mourning Dove
  94-Eurasian Collared Dove
  95-Common Ground Dove
  96-Black-hooded Parakeet
  97-Eastern Screech Owl
  98-Barred Owl
  99-Great Horned Owl
100-Burrowing Owl
101-Ruby-throated Hummingbird
102-Belted Kingfisher
103-Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
104-Red-headed Woodpecker
105-Red-bellied Woodpecker
106-Red-cockaded Woodpecker
107-Downy Woodpecker
108-Hairy Woodpecker
109-Pileated Woodpecker
110-Northern Flicker
111-Eastern Phoebe
112-Great Crested Flycatcher
113-Eastern Kingbird
114-Loggerhead Shrike
115-White-eyed Vireo
116-Blue-headed Vireo
117-Blue Jay
118-Florida Scrub Jay
119-American Crow
120-Fish Crow
121-Tree Swallow
122-Barn Swallow
123-Purple Martin
124-Tufted Titmouse
125-Brown-headed Nuthatch
126-Marsh Wren
127-Carolina Wren
128-House Wren
129-Ruby-crowned Kinglet
130-Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
131-Eastern Bluebird
132-Hermit Thrush
133-Gray Catbird
134-Northern Mockingbird
135-Brown Thrasher
136-Cedar Waxwing
137-European Starling
138-Northern Parula
139-Yellow-rumped Warbler
140-Palm Warbler
141-Pine Warbler
142-Yellow-throated Warbler
143-Black and White Warbler
144-American Redstart
145-Prothonotary Warbler
146-Blue Grosbeak
147-Northern Cardinal
148-Eastern Towhee
149-Bachman's Sparrow
150-Grasshopper Sparrow
151-Chipping Sparrow
152-Lark Sparrow
153-Savannah Sparrow
154-Swamp Sparrow
155-Eastern Meadowlark
156-Red-winged Blackbird
157-Common Grackle
158-Boat-tailed Grackle
159-Brown-headed Cowbird
160-House Sparrow

(New species for me highlighted in red)

 Red-shouldered Hawk

Animals, Reptiles, Amphibians etc

Racoon
Fox Squirrel
White-tailed Deer
Wild Hog
Skunk
River Otter
Gopher Tortoise
Zebra!
Manatee
American Alligator
Tree Frog
Southern Black Racer Snake
Various Gecko's/Lizards
Turtles (inc Florida Redbelly Cooter & Red-eared Slider)

Butterflies

Mangrove Skipper
Clouded Skipper
Fiery Skipper
Long-tailed Skipper
Whirlabout
Common Buckeye
Mangrove Buckeye
Large Orange Sulphur
Little Yellow
Cloudless Sulphur
Great Southern White
Phaon Crescent
American Painted Lady
Red Admiral
White Peacock
Carolina Satyr
Cassius Blue
Ceraunus Blue
Eastern Pygmy Blue
Gulf Fritillary
Monarch
Viceroy
Palamedes Swallowtail
Polydamus Swallowtail
Zebra Swallowtail

Mangrove Buckeye 

 Gulf Fritillary

 Monarch

White Peacock

Dragonflies

Blackwater Clubtail
Cypress Clubtail
Blue Dasher
Carolina Saddlebags
Eastern Amberwing
Eastern Pondhawk
Golden-winged Skimmer
Roseate Skimmer
Slaty Skimmer
Great Blue Skimmer
Halloween Pennant
Little Blue Dragonlet
Seaside Dragonlet
Prince Baskettail
Slender Baskettail
Regal Darner
Variable Dancer
Ramburs Forktail

Blue Dasher 

Slender Baskettail 

Blackwater Clubtail 

Eastern Pondhawk 

Halloween Pennant

Little to report

As expected we are currently in the midst of the mid-Feb to mid-March lull, with little new of note having been encountered round the patch over the last few weeks, the only bright spot being a large finch flock at Northrepps which contained very notable numbers of both Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings.

The Tawny Owl remains faithful to its roost tree in Warren Wood, with the photo below showing the typical view of it.

Felbrigg

An early morning visit to Felbrigg revealed that yesterdays Smew were still present, although they were later sadly flushed by a birders over enthusiastic pointing and shouting to his companions when he spotted them! They never really came close enough for high quality pics, but it was still a real pleasure to just enjoy them, especially the beauty of the drake.

A good number of other wildfowl were present on the lake including a pair of Shelduck and 2 drake Pochard which were both new in, with other notable species present being a single Goldeneye, the Whooper Swan and 2 drake and 4 female Mandarins.

Continued freezing conditions produces more birds

A check of the normally wader-less beach at Overstrand on the 5th produced an amazing tally of 12 different species, most of which had obviously been frozen out of their usual haunts and probably pushed over from the continent  - Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Knot, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Sanderling and Woodcock were all recorded, with the latter watched as it came in-off before landing on the beach. 

A check of the reservoir on the 6th revealed the big surprise of a Coot (115), a local rarity away from Felbrigg, and a nice addition to the growing list of birds recorded on there.

Daily checking of the lake at Felbrigg failed to produce the hoped for Smew, with a couple of Pochard being the only new arrivals; the Whooper Swan continues to linger. On the 7th I decided to check the stream which runs south of the lake for Jack Snipe, but this was more in hope than expectation, although with good numbers of Common Snipe in evidence as I walked along hopes grew, and eventually one was flushed which, unlike all the others, rose silently and flew only a short distance low along in front of me before pitching down again in the stream. I managed to see where it had landed but it again took flight before I could get a decent look at it, but thankfully this time it flew right past me at close quarters, giving me the opportuntity to confirm it was indeed a Jack Snipe (116) as it gave excellent flight views before returning to the stream further along, where I left it in peace really pleased with the find.

A flock of 11 Bewicks Swans (117) flew over Felbrigg Park on the 9th, and one of the Sheringham Purple Sandpipers (118) did the honourable thing of flying beyond the east end of the prom and consequently into the patch whilst I was there on the 13th.

The 15th finally produced what I'd hoped for over the last 10 days with a pair of Smews (119) gracing Felbrigg Lake, and as ever the male was just truly stunning to see with the added bonus of it being my first one ever for the patch following the 3 redheads previously recorded. Sadly with it being beyond dark (well at least for my 50x lens) only a few grainy pics were possible but still a nice record of their occurrence, and hopefully they'll hang around to allow some better shots to be obtained tomorrow.

Four pairs of Mandarins were also welcome visitors to the lake, and it was really nice to know that they are still about locally in fairly good numbers despite spending the majority of their time elsewhere now. The Whooper Swan was as usual in amongst the Mutes, and a Goldeneye was also present.

Cold weather gets the birds moving

A visit down to Felbrigg Lake on the 3rd revealed that it was virtually frozen over save for a ice-free patch in the middle around which all of the birds had congregated which included the Whooper Swan, 23 Teal, the pair of Wigeon, a few Gadwall, a pair of Canada Geese, Greylags, 22 Mute Swans, Tufted Ducks, Mallards and a nice gathering of Gulls.

Whilst walking back across the field towards the hall, I paused to check the Golden Plover flock and was pleasantly surprised to see that they had been joined by a Curlew (111) which is the first one I have ever seen at the site, and probably also the first one actually seen on the deck anywhere on the patch as they are usually seen just passing overhead or moving during seawatches, so a very notable record indeed.

Moving on to West Runton revealed that there was a good cold-weather movement of waders passing by, predominantly Dunlin (112) with numerous flocks going through west. Also notable were 5 Harbour Porpoise seen heading west (3 singles and a pair).

I headed back down to West Runton again today to check the wader passage, and with it being low tide first thing hoped that a few may stop to feed on the exposed beach. I wasn't disappointed as in addition to the usual Grey Plovers, Lapwings, Redshank, Turnstones, Oystercatchers and Ringed Plovers were a dozen or so Dunlin, along with a few Knot and best of all 5 Bar-tailed Godwits (113) which were the first ones I have ever seen here.

There was also a small passage of wildfowl going past with a few Wigeon and Mallards on the move, plus a few flocks of Dark-bellied Brent Geese, one of which I was delighted to see contained a Pale-bellied Brent (114). Adding to the wader-fest a couple of Common Snipe flew over and a nice flock of Golden Plover were in the fields along the beach road.

Firecrest

The month got off to a good start with a Firecrest (110) in the woodland behind Felbrigg Hall yesterday. Down on the lake a Goldeneye was present with the Tufted Ducks, a pair of Wigeon were new in, and the Whooper Swan continues to linger. A flock of 70+ Golden Plover were also new arrivals on the grassy field in front of the hall.

Highlight of today was a Little Gull lingering amongst a feeding flock of Gulls off West Runton late afternoon, and a couple of Sanderlings on the beach were the first ones I've seen this year on the deck.

Second half of the month

As expected the last couple of weeks of the month have been fairly quiet round the patch, although a Canada Goose (108) on Felbrigg Lake was a welcome new arrival.

A couple of Goldeneye also put in an appearance on the lake joining the long staying Whooper Swan, and a party of 4 Common Buzzards circling high over the park were also noteworthy.

With a fairly stiff easterly breeze blowing today, a bit of a seawatch seemed like a good idea, which was rewarded with 3+ Little Gulls (109) feeding offshore. Good numbers of Guillemots were also noted passing by, along with a few Gannets and Red-throated Divers and a single Wigeon.

More of the same

More seawatching off West Runton on the 13th revealed a steady passage of Kittiwakes moving east, plus the first Red-breasted Merganser (101) and Brent Geese (102) of the year, along with the usual Red-throated Divers and Guillemots offshore.

A visit to Felbrigg produced a Pochard (103) new in on the lake along with the lingering Whooper Swan. A male Peregrine made a brief visit trying to land in the cormorant trees but was immediately seen off by the local crows, a pair of Common Buzzards were over the park and a few Redpolls, Siskins and Bramblings were evident there too.

More seawatching from West Runton on the 14th produced a Great Skua heading west, harassing a few GBB Gulls whilst on its way, with 2 drake Eiders (104), and a single Common Scoter amongst the other notable birds.

Another check of Felbrigg Lake finally produced Water Rail (105) with two or three birds seen briefly along the edge of the reedbed. No sign of the Pochard or any Mandarins today but the Whooper Swan seems happily settled in there now, and 4 Cormorants were squabbling over perches on the island and looking positively prehistoric as they spread out their wings to dry.

A check of various areas of suitable habitat finally paid dividends when a Woodcock (106) was found on East Runton Common, as it exploded from the undergrowth at point blank range as is the usual encounter with the species.

A bit more seawatching today produced a single Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Brent Geese and 2 Eider west, Red-throated Divers and a few Guillemots were as usual offshore, and the first Lesser Black-backed Gull (107) of the year headed east along the beach.

Early January

The last ten days have been spent mopping up those few birds missed on Jan 1st and also seeing a few surprises too.

A check of Felbrigg on the 2nd revealed 3 Mandarins (78) and a female Goldeneye (79) on the lake, and a Marsh Tit (80) was present in the alder carr next to the reedbed. Seawatching off Cromer on the afternoon of the 5th produced a few Fulmars (81) passing by, and some more seawatching on the 6th from West Runton was rewarded with 4 Goosanders (82), a few Knot (83) and a group of Shelduck (84) all heading west, and a Lapland Bunting (85) flew over the car park. Another visit to Felbrigg produced both Bullfinch (86) and Common Buzzard (87) in the park. A couple of Redshanks (88) were feeding on the beach at West Runton on the 7th, and a flock of Wigeon (89) and a couple of Sanderlings (90) were noted passing by out to sea.

A text message on the morning of the 8th alerted me to the presence of a Whooper Swan (91) on Felbrigg Lake, and upon hot-footing it down there was treated to excellent views as it mingled with the newly established Mute Swan flock.

Whilst watching the Whooper I then received a very fortuitous phone call from my Dad, who had coincidentally just pulled into the main car park at Felbrigg, to say that he was watching a Red Kite (92) circling over the park, and upon looking up it was immediately picked up as it slowly drifted off southeast towards the village.

A male Blackcap (93) in the garden first thing on the 9th was a nice surprise, and a walk along the cliffs between Sidestrand and Trimingham on the 10th produced Green Woodpecker (94), a flock of Golden Plover (95) and a Peregrine (96) flushed off the cliff face and then watched as it slowly made its way inland. A check of the reservoir produced a Grey Wagtail (97) and then a search round the fields of Northrepps finally resulted in the first Yellowhammers (98) of the year.

A visit to Felbrigg on the 11th produced Mistle Thrush (99), a pair of Mandarins and the Whooper Swan were on the lake, but the flock of Redpolls, which contain a few interesting looking pale individuals, proved as mobile and near impossible to view satisfactorily as ever. With temperatures hitting 12 degrees it was no surprise to see a Red Admiral had been awoken from its winter hibernation and was basking in the warm sunshine.

It was then on to West Runton where a flock of 40+ Common Scoter heading west brought up the 100 for the patch this year in record time, and rounded off an excellent start to the year on the patch.

New Years Day List

As usual the first day of the year saw me doing a day list round the patch, with last years total of 75 being the record to beat.

Robin and Blackbird were pre-dawn singers, but the first bird seen in the first glimmers of light was a Magpie (1), closely followed by Black-headed Gulls (2) and Woodpigeon (3). A familar sound then had me rushing back to the window as the days first skein of Pinkfeet (4) headed west silhouetted against the early morning sky. Chaffinch (5), Great Tit (6), Blue Tit (7), Dunnock (8) and Robin (9) were all noted visiting the feeders at first light, and a few foraging Blackbirds (10) were also noted as I left the house.

First stop was to check the sea off Overstrand, and whilst parking the car Starling (11), House Sparrow (12) and Goldfinch (13) were noted. A Song Thrush (14) was in early morning song on the cliff face, and down on the beach Herring Gull (15), Great Black-backed Gull (16), Carrion Crow (17) and the surprise of a couple of Lapwings (18) on the tideline were noted, a Cormorant (19) was fishing close inshore and a Pheasant (20) was on the clifftop. Deciding to quickly move on, driving through the village produced Collared Dove (21), and a flock of Greenfinches (22) and a single Redwing (23) were noted perched up in a tree.

A quick stop opposite Cromer Golf Club produced a flock of Long-tailed Tits (24), Feral Pigeons (25) were noted as I passed through the town, and then a stop by the carnival field produced Common Gull (26), Rook (27), Turnstones (28), and a flock of Oystercatchers (29) on the beach below. East Runton duckpond produced Mallard (30) and Greylag (31), and then a check of the sea there revealed a Great Crested Grebe (32) close inshore and a number of Red-throated Divers (33) passing by.

I then made my way to West Runton picking up Jackdaw (34) on the way, and on arrival quickly noted Ringed Plover (35) and Grey Plover (36) on the beach and a Guillemot (37) close inshore. The wintering Med Gull (38) appeared over the car park, Skylarks (39) and Meadow Pipits (40) were flying round the fields, which also held a couple of Stock Doves (41). I then settled down for a bit of a seawatch and noted Gannet (42), Kittiwake (43) and the big surprise of a Great Skua (44) passing by, despite this being the third year running now that I have seen one in January.

Heading up to Felbrigg a Jay (45) was seen by the Shirehorse Centre, and a brief stop near Roman Camp produced Coal Tit (46) and Goldcrest (47). Walking down towards the lake at Felbrigg a Lesser Redpoll (48) was noted flying over and slightly further on a larger flock of 40+ birds were encountered which contained both Mealy Redpoll (49) and Siskin (50). A Nuthatch (51) was heard calling and then quickly located, and a Treecreeper (52) was also noted in the same stand of trees.

On the lake Moorhen (53), Mute Swan (54), Gadwall (55), Teal (56) and Tufted Duck (57) were all noted, an Egyptian Goose (58) was on the meadow infront of the hall, a Reed Bunting (59) was in the reedbed and a Heron (60) was fishing around the Mandarin-less trees. A Snipe (61) was flushed from the meadow north of the lake and Fieldfares (62) were noted flying over. Heading back to the car the hoped for flock of Bramblings (63) was encountered by the main car park, but time was then wasted chasing a calling Bullfinch through the trees which I never caught up with.

Moving on, Roughton Road produced a nice flock of Linnets (64) and a Wren (65) and then a quick foray was made into Warren Wood for the Tawny Owl (66) which remains ever faithful to its roost tree. Great-spotted Woodpecker (67) and Red-legged Partridge (68) were seen en-route to the private wood where the Yellow-browed Warbler (69) and a Chiffchaff (70) were quickly located.

Another private site produced Little Grebe (71) and the surprise sighting of a Marsh Harrier (72) drifting over southeastwards. Driving round the back roads of Northrepps in search of Yellowhammer drew a blank but Sparrowhawk (73), Barn Owl (74) and Kestrel (75) were all seen.

Time and the light were fast running out and a check round East Runton for a few remaining targets drew a blank, so I quickly made my way back to Felbrigg where the Little Owl (76) was located immediately in its favourite tree. A dash down to the lake failed to produce Mandarin or Water Rail, although Green Woodpecker was added to the heard list, and the second Barn Owl of the day was noted. In the fading light I made a dash back to Cromer to enjoy the roost of Pied Wagtails (77) at Morrisons, with up to a hundred birds gathering there.

I returned to Felbrigg in the hope of a Woodcock, and whilst waiting totted up the days total for the first time and was delighted to find that I had beaten my previous record by two, so with rain now setting in I decided to call it a day with the excellent haul of 77 species seen plus a further 2 heard only.

Review of the year

With another year gone, here's a quick look back at what has been an excellent year on the patch.

In total 190 species were seen on the patch with 9 new additions for the area - White-tailed Eagle, Citrine Wagtail, Dotterel, Bluethroat, Bonelli's Warbler, Pallid Swift, Humes Yellow-browed Warbler, Long-eared Owl and Woodlark. Additional species such as Greenish Warbler, Pallas's Warbler, Quail, Avocet, Great Grey Shrike and Tundra Bean Goose were only second records, with notable mentions also going to the 5 Grey Phals, and the autumn influxes of Short-eared Owls and Geese. Away from birds, the Willow Emerald Damselfly was the most memorable occurrence.

Further afield 2011 also provided a good haul of British ticks with White-throated Robin, White-winged Scoter, Rufous-tailed Robin and the putative Slaty-backed Gull, plus honourable mentions to the Eastern Black Redstart and Oriental Turtle Dove.

Continuing my interest in Butterflies, 11 new species were seen during the year - Adonis and Small Blues, Northern Brown Argus, Duke of Burgundy, Large Heath, Silver-spotted Skipper, Brown Hairstreak and Marsh, Heath, Pearl-bordered & Small Pearl-bordered Fritilaries, and on the dragonfly front Common Clubtail was also a new addition.

So overall a really excellent year, and here's to 2012 and many more memorable encounters.

Yellow-browed Warbler

The undoubted highlight of the last few days of the year around the patch was the discovery of a wintering Yellow-browed Warbler (on private land with no general access). With I think it being only the second winter occurrence in the county, following the one that overwintered in Stiffkey campsite wood in 2002/3, it was naturally an excellent record for the patch.

Extensive checking of the patch in readiness for the Jan 1st day-list, revealed that up to 6 Chiffchaffs are wintering in various locations, and 5 Mandarins (3 drakes) on Felbrigg Lake were a welcome sight.

Sanderling

Highlights during the last week round the patch have included a ringtail Hen Harrier which flew low west along the cliffs at West Runton, and a Sanderling up on the reservoir which was the first record for the site, and a pretty remarkable occurrence given their total absence from the local beaches this year.

Seawatching has produced a few Kittiwakes and Gannets continuing to pass through, along with Guillemots, Red-throated Divers and a couple of Great Crested Grebes.

A check of Felbrigg lake revealed that there are now 23 Mute Swans on the lake, easily the most I've ever seen on there, with a pair of Egyptian Geese, plus a few Gadwall, Teal and Tufted Ducks also present. Works have started there to alter the course of the stream that runs down into the lake in order to make it more meandering, along with the installation of a weir and a new bridge, however the intentions to flood the meadow on the north side of the lake during the winter are the most interesting aspect of the scheme with the potential of the birds that that might drag in, so it'll be very interesting to see what happens there.

Woodlark revisited

With the Woodlark continuing to linger, I took the opportunity to go and have another look at it yesterday with the hope of getting some views of it on the ground.

Having sussed out its favourite corner of the field, I quickly located it feeding amongst the furrows and then latterly on the grassy strip along the clifftop where it gave excellent views. Unfortunately the very blustery conditions meant trying to hold the scope and camera still was a near impossibility but I managed a couple of acceptable shots out of the couple of hundred blurry ones taken.

WOODLARK

Spent the morning today walking the clifftop between Sidestrand and Trimingham looking for a Woodlark which was reported yesterday, but which I failed to find in a search late afternoon although the exact location was somewhat unclear from the message broadcast on the pager.

Having again drawn a blank, and not seen anything else of note along the cliffs either, I had decided to go elsewhere and was heading back to the car when my attention was suddenly grabbed by a musical call overhead and on quickly looking up I was thrilled to see the Woodlark circling round above me before dropping down in the middle of the field. A short while later myself and another birder again had good flight views as it flew round calling overhead before it flew off a short distance coming down on a bit of nearby heathland.

So a really excellent record being my first one ever for the patch and certainly not one I've had predicted here in December, and a great way to bring up the 190 for the patch this year.

Black-throated Diver & Bewick's Swans

A bit more seawatching was had today, this time from West Runton with the highlights being a flock of Bewick's Swans which headed west and a Black-throated Diver on the sea. A few Shelduck, a couple of Shoveler, Goldeneye, Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Red-throated Divers were all noted passing by too, and a single Golden Plover was on the beach amongst the roosting Grey Plovers and Lapwings.

Not a great pic of the Diver due to the distance but you can still see what it is.

The usual Med Gull in the car park was a bit more photogenic!

Seawatching

With the very stormy conditions further north yesterday followed by a bit of a northerly airflow down the North Sea along the back edge of the low as it tracked eastwards, it was worth having a look at the sea today even though it was a WSW wind here.

Three hours of watching from Cromer was rewarded with 40+ Little Auks moving west, in groups of up to 4 birds. A few passed just beyond the breakers giving excellent views, with those, along with some others slightly further out, pitching down on the sea temporarily by the pier, before they carried on their way.

A Grey Phalarope was also noted heading west, briefly landing on the sea a few times to feed as it went, which is always good to see just to confirm the id. The other notable sightings were my first Great Northern Diver of the year, and a pair of Harbour Porpoise

Wildfowl were very notable by their absence with a Red-breasted Merganser being the only duck species noted, along with just a single Brent Goose. A couple of Great Crested Grebes, Red-throated Divers, Guillemots, Gannets, Kittiwakes, an Oystercatcher and a Dunlin were the other species noted during the watch.

Goosander

With the influx of geese that took place last month it was no surprise when 3+ Tundra Beans were found amongst a flock of c400 Pinkfeet which yesterday took up temporary residence near Northrepps. Although they were fairly distant they were still nice to see and given their previous extreme scarceness on the patch, still a very notable occurrence despite the numbers present this year.

Today saw me head down to Felbrigg lake to see if the Goosander which had been reported yesterday was still there, and after a bit of scanning I eventually found it asleep up against the far bank. Despite a number of walkers going round the lake it didn't seem that bothered so I made my way round to get a closer look and of course the obligatory snap of it.

Whilst watching it my attention was suddenly grabbed by something small whizzing across the surface of the water out of the corner of my eye, my immediate thought was Kingfisher but swinging round I was surprised to see it was actually a bat!

Over the next ten or so minutes I watched as it fed back and forth low over the waters surface obviously feeding on insects before it eventually disappeared up into the trees and presume it was having a bit of a feed up either ready for hibernation or just maybe because the overnight rain had prevented it from feeding last night, but still a great sight in broad daylight especially given the time of year and it not being particularly mild either.

 

This Heron was quietly stalking fish amongst the 'Mandarin trees', although there was no sign of the latter there, and back at the car the resident Little Owl was watched in its usual area of trees and a few Bramblings were also noted.