A beautiful sunny day with a brisk north-east wind, there was far more general bird activity today with 2 Kestrels, a male Merlin, and young female Peregrine all hunting in the area, 3 Bearded Tits on the east bank early morning, 3 Cetti's Warblers, 8+ Chiffchaffs, a Black Redstart near the harbour sluice at Thornham, and a passage of small finches including 2 Redpoll sp and 6 Siskins.
Five Hebrew Characters were in the moth trap, and a Brimstone, 2 Peacocks and 2 Small Tortoiseshells were on the wing.
Highlights from Walsey Hills included 3 Little Ringed Plover, a drake Garganey seen from the east end, 6 singing Chiffchaffs, 4 Red Kites and 5 Siskins over. Moths of interest included singles of Pale Pinion and Acleris cristana.
Holme Bird Observatory (Header)
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CORONAVIRUS UPDATE – NOA RESERVES REMAIN CLOSED AT PRESENT All NOA reserves remain closed at present, and following the lifting of some restrictions in England we would ask our members, visitors and volunteers to be patient while this situation continues. We are still some way from being able to provide a COVID secure environment for our staff and visitors, and any changes must be gradual, cautious and enable social distancing. Broadwater Road is currently closed, and the Beach Road Car Park is also closed. We would advise that parking and toilet facilities are not yet widely available. NWT Holme Dunes, Titchwell and Snettisham RSPB reserves also remain closed, and do not yet have a date for opening their car parks and other visitor facilities. Please also bear in mind that we are now in the middle of the breeding season. Birds which have been nesting undisturbed while visitors have stayed away need this situation to continue until their young have fledged. For similar reasons affecting land managers along the North Norfolk Coast AONB, their Re-opening the Norfolk Coast Working Group is asking people not to visit at this time until organisations have had a chance to put safety measures in place for social distancing and reopen provision such as toilets and car parks. Announcements will be made by individual organisations and businesses when this is the case, so please check before you travel, and don’t come at present. NOA hopes to offer some form of access at its reserves later this summer, but it could still be some weeks away and will remain limited while we find our ‘new normal’. Please bear with us, and we thank you again for your understanding and support
