Titchwell Triumph

 Another Sunday and another out of county episode, today my brother and I were guests of the RSPB at Titchwell in Norfolk. This excellent reserve often delivers quality birding experiences and today was no exception. With the weather set fair we enjoyed a fantastic selection of birds as well as a few late insects that were active in those spots sheltered from the keen breeze.

Grey Phalarope

The long staying Grey Phalarope that has been here for over a week was good enough to continue its sojourn and treated us to some great views from the footpath. We watched as it fed in typically frenetic fashion constantly pirouetting, it seemed a bundle of limitless energy. We really were quite spoiled by this charismatic little swimmer as it showed equally well on our return walk from the beach. Sharing the marsh with the phalarope were a large number of Golden Plovers and a small selection of other waders which included Avocets.

Guillemot and Purple Sandpiper

Next up on our list of highlights was a Guillemot on the brackish marsh which treated us to some brilliant views. Whether this bird was a wind blown waif recuperating its strength seems likely, we were to see good numbers of Guillemots on the sea. I'm hoping that this one manages to make its way back to more familiar surroundings. A flock of roosting waders sharing the marsh with the gilly included Knot, Greenshank and Turnstone in their numbers. From the nearby beach we had a very good session of birding that began with rather distant views of a Purple Sandpiper. During our stay here the bird gradually came nearer and was seemed totally unfazed by its growing crowd of admirers. Eventually we had excellent views on what was turning out to be a cracking day. Large numbers of Starlings were moving through, I would estimate that thousands passed by. Best passerine for me though was Snow Bunting, a single bird on the ruined structure was later eclipsed by a small flock of eleven which paused briefly on the sand before continuing on their way.

Sanderlings and Dunlin

Sea watching can be a tedious affair but today turned out to be OK as both the light and the relatively calm sea helped us to find a good selection of species. Apart from those Guillemots that I mentioned earlier there was a distant Slavonian Grebe joining the more numerous Great Cresteds. At least half a dozen Red-throated Divers included several fairly close individuals. An immature Gannet showed reasonably well and so too did a group of female Common Scoters, a few distant drakes were also seen. The beach hosted small numbers of Sanderlings which gleamed in the strong sunlight.

Pintails and Willow Emerald.

Returning to the main reserve for a walk along the East Trail added Bearded Tits to our day list for the third week in a row. A minimum of two Marsh Harriers hunted above the reedbeds while several small flocks of Siskins and at least one female Brambling were observed. Plenty of Common Darters were enjoying the Autumn sunshine and in this they were joined by a few Migrant Hawkers and a single Willow Emerald. Two Red Admirals and a Small White completed our list of insects, the latter may well be one of my latest ever sightings. Having had an excellent morning we decided to call it quits and head back to Corby, today is going to take some beating!

More views of today's highlights.