On the sea today 2 Eider, 14 Common Scoters, 4 Fulmars, a Great Crested Grebe, 19 Little Terns, 14 Sandwich Terns and 28 Common Terns were counted. Other birds of interest included a Great White Egret, Common Sandpiper, 4 Green Sandpipers, a Wood Sandpiper and 60+ Black-tailed Godwits all on the NWT pools, 2 Snipe were flying over at the village hides, a Whimbrel flew over the Observatory calling, and 14 Golden Plover were on the grazing marsh. On the beach 150 Knot, 120 Sanderling, 7 Dunlin and a Turnstone were also noted, while a movement of hirundines included 10+ Sand Martins, 40+ Swallows, 10+ House Martins and 8+ Swifts. a Cetti's Warbler was heard at the village hides, and a Willow Warbler was also of note.
In the moth traps, a Pine Hawk Moth, Cloaked Minor, 5 Drinkers, 5 White Points and a Dark Sword-grass were among the catch.
Norfolk News from RARE BIRD ALERT
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Norfolk Purple Sand still Titchwell RSPB on freshmarsh +Great White Egret 15.Spoonbills
Norfolk 8.Spoonbills Thornham harbour
Norfolk Black Tern flew east past Cley at 8.10am
Norfolk 3.Wood Sands 1ml ESE of Potter Heigham still at Potter Heigham Marshes. Use car park at Lathams (£8.50 per day) +take track ENE 1ml NR29 5JE
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
