American Goldie

A smart Siberian Stonechat turned up at Caister while we were in Cornwall so first day back in Norfolk I decided to go and see it.  It had been around for a few days but it had been a clear night and when Dave and I rocked up we found a few folk milling around not looking at anything.  Dave had already seen it so he knew where it frequented - and it wasn't frequenting there, it had gone.  A Short-eared Owl flushed from the dunes, but that was our lot.

Short-eared Owl, Caister, 26th October

Next we had a look along the coastal strip between Caister and California.  I'd never been here before but found a decent bit of habitat for migrants.  There had to be a Radde's Warbler in there.  Sadly if there was we didn't find it, just 20 Goldcrests.

We were planning to head down to Breydon later to see the American Golden Plover, predicted to appear early afternoon.  But it had already been seen so we abandoned migrant hunting and headed straight down there.  A vast flock of Golden Plovers was roosting on the mudflats and our chances of picking something out from among that lot seemed slight.  But that was ok because this AGP was preferring the company of Lapwings over the Golden Plovers.  Only it wasn't among them either.  A nice day, good light, excellent viewing conditions, but no rare plover to view.  Eventually we headed off to get fish and chips for lunch, returning as news came through that it had reappeared.  We arrived back to find a few folk watching it, but over lunch the weather had changed - it had turned into the dullest murkiest afternoon and the American Golden Plover was a grey bird in a grey gloom.  Not the greatest conditions to attempt photos of a bird that was a signifcant distance off, but that's never stopped me trying...

American Golden Plover (with Lapwings and Golden Plover), Breydon Water, 26th October

Also 5 Mediterranean Gulls plus another 8 Mediterreanean Gulls while we were having fish and chips.

Popped in to the local patch before heading home.  Nothing much doing there, 2-3 Little Egrets at Hell Pit being the only birds of note.