A couple of enjoyable evenings around TG42 this week with superb views of the long-staying Black-winged Kite, plus a few waders at Hickling including 2 Temminck’s, 5 Wood Sands and 11 Tundra Ringed Plovers. Also great to see a drake Garganey - a species that’s felt scarce this spring...

Relocating and watching the Black-winged Kite to a sound track of Bee-eaters wasn't in my plans tonight!

Single Wood Sand at RSPB Buckenham Marshes this lunchtime + 2 Greenshank, 2 Bar-tailed and 5 Black-tailed Godwits.

Had a late one at Potter Heigham Reedbed last night hoping to pull out my own Temminck's or Curlew Sand. Unfortunately there were no small waders present but a group of 17 Ruff was nice as well as at least 5 Common Sandpipers, 9 Snipe, Hobby and an adult Spoonbill dropping in to feed.

Three Wheatear was the best I could muster at Waxham this evening post the heavy downpour.

Long shift at Waxham: increase in summer migrants, 2 Ring Ouzels, 3 Wheatears, Sandwich Tern + Iceland & Glauc Gulls nearby still. ebird.org/checklist/S3...

Pre-work vis-mig sesh at Waxham. H/lights: 200+ of both Siskin and Chaffinch + Brambling, Swallow, Whimbrel and Greenshank.

This morning vis-mig counts in co-op w/ @jamoth.bsky.social Hoping tomorrows south-east wind brings a little extra spice!

Phone-scoped Great Grey Shrike from Hunstanton Dunes today. Surprised how well it showed and on several occasions it flew towards me catching bees and beetles.

The birding gods giveth and taketh away - White Storks south through Waxham just as I got home after spending a few hours there first thing 😅. Fairly quiet there although a bit of a Corvid morning which featured 65 Magpies north. First Blackcaps of the year and Black Redstart on the campsite.

12 Early Oak Gall Moths (Pammene giganteana) to my FUN lure this morning + a bonus flyover Raven! Both firsts for the garden.

A relatively quiet morning at Waxham, with the exception of a side-by-side view of the Glaucous and Iceland Gulls off Waxham Sands Campsite. A single White Wagtail was also of note on the campsite turf.

Insane numbers of the Early Colletes (Colletes cunicularius) at Lynford Water this afternoon!

A training course took me to Tyrrel's Wood where a plethera of inverts were enjoying the sunshine inc. my first Dark-edged bee-fly of the year and the Broad-nosed Weevil Platystomos albinus.

Finally caught up with the long staying Glauc at Waxham yesterday - My 69spp. for my Waxham patch this year.

A grass from Winterton beach car park this morning which I think might be Early Meadow-grass (Poa infirma)?

Two niceties from the Brecks today - Rhizocarpon geographicum on the roof of Weeting church (thanks @garyhibberd.bsky.social) & Early Sand-grass (Mibora minima) on a housing estate in Thetford

Just a few Firebugs (Pyrrhocoris apterus) enjoying yesterdays sunshine here in Norwich.

First 2-hour vis-mig watch of the year at Waxham. 173 Chaffinch heading south made up the main bulk of passerines and a single Grey Wag was nice. The sea was lively too, with 288 Red-throated Divers north and similar numbers of Gannets passing by.

Little Gull and Sanderling from Sea Palling on Saturday.

Does anyone have experience recovering images from a corrupted XQD card?

Besides the sublime Little Gulls (my memory cards corrupted 🤢, so I’ll have to make do with these shots grabbed from the camera via my phone in the field earlier), a yomp around Waxham also produced a Tundra Bean Goose, Purple Sandpiper, and a small number of Kittiwakes moving south.

Little Gull at Waxham this morning! 😍 Ad and 1st winter on beach. #norfolkbirding

A super showy Great Northern Diver in the channel off the Wells-next-the-Sea lifeboat station this evening! #Norfolkbirding

Pleased to finally catch up with the Ring-necked Duck at Filby and for once it wasn’t lurking right at the back! The redhead Smew, on the other hand, was tight to the furthest reed fringe… Two Scaup still hanging about too.

Travelling down to Oxford for the ORFC, I couldn’t resist a leg stretch on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Plenty of Crossbills about, mostly heard rather than seen and I was lucky enough to spot this inquisitive Otter just downstream of the bridge!

25 White-fronts still hanging around with the Greylags at St Benet's, giving lovely close views from the floodwall. #Norfolkbirding

This point blank Great White Egret was a nice distraction from scanning the distance ducks at Filby this morning! #Norfolkbirding #UKbirding

The Black-winged Kite & Marsh Harrier from a few evenings ago. #Norfolkbirding #Rarebirdsuk

Proper baltic conditions at times today, and I really questioned what the hell we were doing as we headed towards Wells-next-the-Sea this morning. But after recently spending time watching several Tundra Bean Geese, I couldn’t resist the North Point Taiga! #Norfolkbirding

Perseverance paid off and I managed to pick out at least two Tundra Bean Geese amongst the Pinks at Upton Marshes this afternoon. One Barnacle Goose too! #Norfolkbirding

Tough viewing conditions today and absolutely freezing, but a rewarding haul out east nonetheless: Ferruginous, Scaup, Eider, 3 Tundra Bean, 2 Bewick’s Swans, 5 White-fronts, 2 Water Pipits and the Black-winged Kite.

My OH went to see the Kite this evening and sent me this...gripped 🥲

Brief but good views of the Kite again this morning. #Norfolkbirding

Black-winged Kite returning to it's favoured trees this morning with prey item. ISO8000😅 #Norfolkbirding

Excellent prolonged views of a Black-winged Kite this morning! #Norfolkbirding

An early Crimbo present for Norfolk birders today with the counties second Eastern Black Redstart feeding along the seafront at Sheringham. #Norfolkbirding

Spread the word!

Quality day around St Benet’s and Ludham with @robertsjsmith.bsky.social and K. Nixon. Black-throated Diver, 5 Bewick’s and 31 Whooper Swan, 45 Crane, 5 Cattle Egret, 2 White-fronted Goose, 2 SEO, Barn Owl, Beardies etc

Good to see Filby Broad still topping the wildfowl charts. Consistency is everything. 😋

Of all the rarities and scarcities I hope to find on my regular-ish Swan/Crane/Goose circuit in the Northern Broads, I never expected to come across a Black-throated Diver on the River Thurne! #Norfolkbirding

A lone Jack Snipe in front of Bishop’s Hide, Cley, this morning, made the damp walk from the car park worthwhile!

Free living Beaver at Pensthorpe: pensthorpe.com/beaver-at-pe...

A quick post-work bash at Waxham last night in hopes of digging out a Yellow-browed Warbler — no luck there, but a nice fresh arrival of Goldcrests made up for it, along with Redwing, Song Thrush, Siskin, and a Chiffchaff.

A slow but pleasant morning at Waxham with 220+ Siskin and a single Swallow north. Moved on to Gt. Yarmouth where the Red-footed Falcon was still showing nicely, then home just in time to catch a couple of Crossbill over the pad!

Pleased to catch up with the Snettisham Short-toed Lark yesterday — it spent most of the evening feeding along the strandline before moving to the footpath, where it showed beautifully! Just a shame the light had gone 🙄 #Norfolkbirding

Sods to pick up but over 40 Crossbills south through Waxham so far this morning.

After a busy week of pond restorations, it was nice to get out and do some birding! Like most, I headed to Winterton where the Lesser Grey Shrike showed cripplingly well, and an Arctic Skua dropped onto the Natterjack pools!

Nice to be on the other side of the Black-winged Kite twitch tonight and not worry about car parking etc. Arrived with everyone leaving as it had flown high south but a look at 100 Acre Deadwood and there it sat! It remained till c.1930 before vanishing low south after several hovers.