Adam and I started Friday morning heading to Lowestoft as I fancied seeing the Woodchat Shrike. We arrived at Links Road at around 9am and were straight onto the very obliging bird. It was showing really well when I spotted a bird flying in beside us, at first it looked Crakey, so we walked around to try and find it, no sign where it landed and just as I turned to walk away a Quail flies up and nearly hit me in the face.
We left here and headed for Corton where it wasn't long before a Yellow-browed Warbler called and we got to watch it fly about the tree tops before it flew into the church yard.
We soon left Corton as I was getting a Norfolk itch I really felt that with Thurday's winds something was just waiting to be found. With this we went to Horsey Gap and Walked to Waxham Holiday Camp.
The walk down the track had a tit flock this had a single Chiffchaff within it. We walked along the lower track through the bushes watching mixed flocks of Siskin and Redpoll flying over.
We arrived at the back of the camp and scanned over the bushes towards the pipedump and right in the distance I found a Great Grey Shrike perched near to the 'bend in the road' it was very distant and we did stop for another look at it on the way through.
After the scan round we popped down to see how some ringers were getting on, lots of Meadow Pipits and Redpolls had been trapped during the morning including this one.
With this we walked back but this time taking to the top off the dunes next to the beach. Straight off we spotted a small bird land on the beach up ahead as it flew in off the sea.
We continued walking to get a better look but before arriving a much larger bird flew in off the sea being mobbed by Gulls, this was a Short-eared Owl. It almost crashed into the dunes before spotting us and then it continued inland.
So looking back at the beach we were much closer to our original bird this was in fact a Snow Bunting.
More Siskins, Redpolls, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks flew over head as we walked back to the car.
Our next stop was lunch and this was had at our favourite sea watching pub the Poachers Pocket. At first all seemed quiet but slowly birds started to appear, Gannets flew through then Ducks and Geese flew though Teal, Wigeon and Brents.
Then a new pub tick as two Common Scoter flew through. A brilliant summer plumage Red-throated Diver appear on the sea in front of us and another pub tick flew in off the sea and this was our second Short-eared Owl of the day.
From here we then headed for Trimingham and the cliff top wood which as always was quiet apart from a few Goldcrests, we then bumped into Connor and as we were speaking I spotted our third Short-eared Owl as it flew up the cliff and perched on the cliff top.
The rest of the afternoon was spent searching the woods and seeing Brambling, Redwing and Fieldfare.
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