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
For all this news, in the field as it happens, subscribe to Rare Bird Alert for as little as 14p per day
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)
This is a polite reminder to all our members that our subscription rates have increased from 1st January. If you pay by standing order and have not yet done so, please amend your standing order to the new rate. More details can be found here.
We are small charity reliant on the generosity of our supporters through membership subscriptions and donations. Why not become a member. For a minimum of £25 you can get all the benefits of being a member of the NOA. Just click the button on the right below. Or, if you would like to support us with a donation, it is very easy to do through our portal at VirginMoneyGiving. Just click the button on the right to go to our dedicated page. Thank you.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE – NOA RESERVES TO RE-OPEN FROM MONDAY 13TH JULY 2020
We are delighted to announce that we will be welcoming visitors back to Holme Bird Observatory from Monday 13th July 2020, and we are very much looking forward to seeing you once again. Thank you to all our members and visitors for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Please be aware that we are not yet able to restore full access.
Some restrictions must continue and these are as follows: Hempton Marsh and Walsey Hills reserves will be re-opening to visitors on 13th July, but hides on these reserves will remain closed. At Holme the following hides will remain closed for the time being: Redwell Marsh hide, Car Park hide, Sea-watching hide, Dell hide and Broadwater hide. The Bus-Stop, Dowson and Richardson hides will be accessible to one household at a time, and the viewing platform and seating area outside the cordon will be available as well, with social distancing in place. The Observatory building will also remain closed to visitors, but a member of staff will be able to come out to meet you. We do regret that for now visitors will not be able to empty moth traps with our staff, but we will retain specimens of special interest for visitors to view at a safe distance. We will continue to charge day permit fees.
We are very sorry not to offer a fuller visitor experience just yet, but these measures are for everyone's safety and we do appreciate your understanding. We will continue to review hide closures, and will post any changes on our website.
