An interesting 'Eastern Lesser Whitethroat' from Sea Palling in 2018
Since moving to Sea Palling in Dec 2006, my birding has focussed almost entirely on gaining a better understanding of my TG42 patch. Not solely with respect to birds but also getting to know the people, local history and wider natural history of the area. Through birding a patch like this almost exclusively, my focus has moved to finding as many new species as possible. The total of my finds within the TG42 square now stands at 286. A total of 300 finds in the square now feels doable, and this is increasingly becoming my main aim.
With this is mind, and with me working much less now and having more time to devote to looking for new stuff, I decided to have a think about which species are the most likely for me to add to the finds list.
Red-rumped Swallow
On paper, this is by far the biggest omission from my TG42 total, never mind my finds. When I was teaching in Yarmouth I must have missed at least half a dozen, driving past them as they were being found and watched by Andy Kane, Andrew Grieve and Mick Saunt and Tim Hodge. I’ve spent many days when Swallows are on the move, sat in the dunes hoping one will appear. All to no avail. No doubt one will turn up when I’m not thinking about it…
Green-winged Teal
This is one I can’t believe I haven’t found in TG42 yet, however, I’ve seen a couple here. Although the flocks at Hickling aren’t as big as in the past, there’s still a great chance that regular checking will pay off. The problem is that I haven’t been looking at wildfowl much in recent years. Guess I need to pull my finger out and start going through the flocks until I see a white stripe…
White-tailed Eagle
A contentious one. With the released birds now almost annual in the square, finding a genuine bird is almost impossible to do with certainty. Still, having said that, I’ve never found a released bird yet either. Regular morning watches and avoiding bird news will hopefully pay dividends in spring – maybe even this coming spring…
Little Bunting
Amazingly, given some of the incredible records from the square, there has never been a single Little Bunting. Indeed, there are almost no records from Cromer to Great Yarmouth. Only a brief bird at Happisburgh in Oct 2015. I came tantalisingly close last October when I had a ticking bird fly over me and into a nearby dense sallow hedge. It was small, and views of it in the hedge showed it was a bunting too, so obviously something decent. I’d already called Andy down but sadly it left the hedge and was never seen again.
Blyth’s Reed Warbler
Another species that hasn’t been recorded in the square yet. Somewhat surprising and we thought we were a shoe-in for one a couple of years back when several were recorded in late spring. Early morning and late evening cycle rides around suitable habitat listening for one may eventually bear fruit. I heavily suspect I had one ten years ago on an October evening when I found a bird calling from trackside vegetation at point blank range. It responded to imitations of its call (just like this: https://xeno-canto.org/777660) and kept circling me but just wouldn’t show itself. I was beaten by the failing light and a dawn search the following morning revealed nothing.
Corncrake
Can’t do much to get one of these other than keep walking the coast in late summer and autumn and hope one explodes out from in front of me. Yet another species I haven’t even seen in the square yet. Somewhat tarnished now as a find due to the number of released birds but you take what you get I suppose.
Alpine Swift
We seem to get these almost every year now in spring, and perhaps having a few more mornings free will give me a good chance of being in the right place at the right time when one flies through. Would love to chance upon one – the Waxham bird that lingered for a while in 2007 was a spectacular sight as it careered across the dune tops at head height.
Subalpine Warbler
I’ve included this purely on the basis that Andy has found two since I’ve been here so I ought to be able to find one! Neither of those birds looked much like an Eastern type, so one of those would be doubly nice to pick up in a hedge or bush one spring morning.
Iberian Chiffchaff
Still hasn’t been one in TG42 yet. A singing bird should be easy to pick out so fingers crossed we get lucky in the not-too-distant future. And an uncontentious singer would be even better. An autumn bird is also possible if the call is genned up on and you have it high in your mind so as not to write it off as something else.
Surf Scoter
There’s been one in the village before – a bird found in one of the bays by Andy, that stayed a while. Any individual from south or north could also fly past at some point. Scoter numbers are much reduced these days but that might make picking out a Surf a bit easier.
Seabirds
As our seas warm and strange things happen with seabird distribution, who knows how it is going to affect seabirds and their movements? The possibilities are myriad and there’s no doubt that surprises are in store. Recent years have produced Fea’s and Great, while Cory’s are seemingly becoming noticeably more frequent, so other species may well be on the cards. Even the Eleonora’s paid Andy and I a visit one morning – one of my best ever experiences here. Scopoli’s would be a nightmare to identify without exceptional views and video footage but who can be arsed with all that? Might be an idea to bone up on booby plumages though…
Rose-coloured Starling
Recent years have seen a few of these turn up but they aren’t tricky to identify and tend to occur in obvious places so don’t really take much finding, more a matter of right place at the right time again. I’ve seen adults and an immature here, including a memorable adult in fog at Winterton North Dunes.
Ok, those mentioned above might look good shouts on paper but who knows, as birds never cease to surprise us. Other reasonable shouts include Woodchat Shrike, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Bonaparte’s Gull, Ring-necked Duck, Short-toed Lark, Lesser Grey Shrike and Bluethroat. There will doubtless be a surprise or two and I wouldn’t bet against more new species for the square, perhaps a Greater Sandplover, Red-necked Stint or River Warbler? Maybe even an Eastern Crowned Warbler. After all, I never expected to see an Eleanora’s Falcon at the end of my road or a Black-winged Kite a mile down the road.
However they come and whatever they are, I’ll be sure to enjoy them all.
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