Winter at Holme Bird Observatory (please click for clip)

Monday 25 October 2010

Tawny Owl 24 October





Grey wagtail 15th October - A new ringing species at Holme


Grey Wagtail 15th October


Ring Ouzel 30th September - a young male bird and the second of the Autumn to be ringed


Monday 18 October 2010

Holmes Superb Autumn continues

After the massive fall of migrants over the week-end of 8th -10th October that saw ringing records at the observatory shattered on successive days a Red Flanked Bluetail present in the dunes on the afternoon of the 17th October, continued the impressive run of rare birds seen at Holme this autumn.
Bearded Tit 16th October. 1 of 5 ringed



Stonechat 12 October





Great Spotted Woodpecker 11 October





Redpoll 11 october










Autumn Images 2

Black Redstart on the railings of the new disabled access from the observatory car park !
All pictures 10th October

Jay


Cettis warbler


Swallow - a late ringing record that coincide with a very late record of a cuckoo present for 2 days around the pines






Autumn Images 3

Ring ouzel 9 th october

Siskin 9th October


Brambling 8th October


Redstart 8th october



Sparrowhawk 7th October. bathing in the pool opposite the Dell Hide


Pintails Rewell Marsh

2 of the 3 shown below. These have been regular visitors to redwell in recent weeks

Friday 15 October 2010

42 pintail redwell

3 Pintails on redwell Marsh. Another good record for the marsh that has had both Grey and Red Necked Phalarope and Whiskered Tern amongst recent highlights

41 Wryneck Hunstanton

Video taken at Hunstanton rather than Holme, but with 1 ringed at the Obs and up to 2 in the Dunes in October a substitute posting !

33 spoonbills holme 2

A slightly delayed posting of 2 of a group of 5 Spoonbills in front of the car park hide. taken in August when Spoonbills were regular vissitors to the Broadwater and Holme Marsh

Sunday 3 October 2010

Some good seawatching and a major fall of common migrants

A good few days seawatching 24th-26th Sept produced a juvenile Long-tailed Skua, 4 Pomarine Skuas, 4 Sooty Shearwaters, 2 Sabine's Gulls and a Grey Phalarope amongst other bits and pieces including 2 Barnacle Geese and a Red-necked Grebe. This proceeded a major arrival of common migrants from 26th-28th Sept, with peaks of 450 Robins, 10 Redstarts and 270 Bramblings amongst many other species. Associated with this were several scarcities, including a Whiskered Tern that flew through Redwell, a Grey Phalarope that dropped into Redwell briefly, a Wryneck reported in the dunes, a Honey Buzzard over the pines, up to 16 Lapland Buntings, 3 Ring Ouzels and both a Firecrest and a Yellow-browed Warbler on the NOA reserve, with the latter caught and ringed and pictured below (photo by Penny Clarke).