A wild (Red-breasted Goose) chase!! To Norfolk, Lancashire and back!

Some birds seem to be much trickier to catch up with than others and rather surprisingly, this winter’s Red-breasted Goose decided it was going to be one of the awkward ones. Having already travelled down to Norfolk at the end of December in an attempt to twitch it over the New Year period, thick fog rather hampered our success, and despite Alex getting brief views through the mist upon our arrival, the Red-breasted Goose rather disastrously wasn’t seen again! A gruelling following two days endlessly searching the surrounding fields and trawling through tens of thousands of geese in the biting cold drew a blank (hours and hours of searching and staring at geese resulted in me even seeing them in my sleep!), and with no further sightings of the Red-breasted Goose at all in Norfolk, it seemed we’d mis-timed our visit with it moving on to pastures new.

Goose! A total menace! 

Fast forward a few days and rather remarkably (or frustratingly depending on how you look at it!) what is presumed to be the same goose was refound on the marsh at RSPB Marshside in Lancashire on the 4^th January (an hour away from home), before once more moving on to Cockerham Moss four days later. Despite going mysteriously missing for a week a couple of days later, it now seems to have struck up a pattern and can reliably be found grazing in the surrounding fields in the area amongst the thousands of Pinkfeet.

Alex's Red-breasted Goose video!

Heading up ourselves on the Sunday morning, we rather foolishly expected to rack up and enjoy great views of this colourful species feeding in one of the regular fields. How wrong we were….. 6 hours later and there was no trace of our goose, and with now freezing cold feet and a form of goose depression setting in, we were left pondering just why this one goose seemingly hated us…

The goose field - minus any Red-breasted ones!

Luckily though we persevered, and with several large flocks flying in from further north presumably to roost, we drove over to the main feeding field to trawl through yet more Pinkfeet in the hope that our Red-breasted had landed with them.

Joining the assembled birders and having not even got my scope set up yet, it was a case of “right place, right time” as in what was one of the most casual announcements of spotting a bird ever (second only to a French birders deadpan “I have eet” proclamation of finding our much sought after Dupont’s Lark in Spain) a lady exclaimed that she thought she had found “the red one”.

The "Red One"

With panic ensuing and almost in disbelief that after 4 whole days of searching our target had finally been found, there were a tense few frantic moments when there were no available scopes to look through – if it had flown off at this point I would have cried!

Luckily Alex soon found it amongst the flock and getting my own scope set up and on it we were finally able to enjoy prolonged views of this beautiful, petite goose. With no fog to obscure our vision and remaining out of the way of any bustling Pinkfeet, it was great to finally savour the sweet taste of success – Red-breasted Goose in the bag.

After around 10 minutes of it feeding in the field, our goose eventually took flight, presumably heading off in to the next field with a large group of Pinkfeet and unfortunately timing it’s departure at the same moment the other birders in the area arrived to try and connect…. it seems the goose certainly hadn’t lost its frustratingly mischievous trait where doing a vanishing act was concerned!

So, the big question… is it gen?

With Red-breasted Geese breeding in far north Russia – in the same area as Bean, White-fronted and Brent Geese, despite being amongst a large Pink-footed Goose flock we can presume that this particular bird arrived with the several White-fronted Geese that have been mixed in with the Pinkfeet.

Migrating Pinkfeet

Migrating south for the winter, once the Beans or White-fronts hit northern Europe they can mingle with the hundreds of thousands of Pink-footed Geese migrating in the same direction, often getting carried over to Britain with their host flocks. Indeed, several White-fronted and Bean Geese were present at both Cockerham and down in Norfolk, with the Red-breasted Goose regularly choosing to associate itself with the White-fronted Geese in particular when feeding.

Photo by Alex Jones

Both White-fronted and Bean Geese were present with the Red-breasted Goose

With several large Brent Goose flocks also overwintering down in Norfolk, an alternative theory is that the Red-breasted Goose may have travelled across to Britain with the Brent Geese before getting mixed in with the Pink-footed Goose flocks, preferring the food source of the grassy fields as opposed to the saltwater marshes favoured by Brent Geese. We did in fact actually see several Brent Geese mixed in with the Pink-footed Goose flocks down in Norfolk, showing that the two species do mingle.

The Norfolk Brent Geese

It was also interesting to discover that the Pink-footed Goose flocks in Norfolk regularly make the journey up to Lancashire each year, and with the Todd’s Canada Goose in Norfolk also being spotted up at Cockerham, there is no doubt that these birds are all part of the same flock that have made the journey north – the Red-breasted Goose included.

Despite many Red-breasted Geese in Britain being of dubious origin having escaped from captivity, this individual’s wild tendencies, migratory patterns and association with carrier species (both Bean and White-fronted Geese were present with it in Norfolk and at Cockerham) are enough to earn it the benefit of the doubt for me.

Having given us the run-around for almost a month and sending us on a wild goose chase half way across the country and back, it was a weight off the shoulders to finally nail this (elusive for us!) individual! Great work on Alex’s part driving to both Norfolk and Lancashire for me to track down my goose – this almost makes up for him doing a runner to see a White Stork without me in August… almost!

Finding the Goose:

The Red-breasted Goose seems to favour a particular set of fields adjacent to Cockerham Marsh, running alongside the A588 from Cockerham to Stake Pool. The main flocks congregate between Braides and Sand Villa Farm (postcode LA2 0EW) but we also found substantial flocks along Horse Park Lane and Backsands Lane. Several birders have also been successful further north at Upper Thurnham off the A588 layby just south of Moss Lane, while we found a large flock at the end of Slack Lane on the other side of the Marsh. The most recent sighting came from Eagland Hill and Nateby, slightly further south. 

Great Knot at Titchwell RSPB Norfolk - To be, or Knot to be?

Great Knot, Red-eyed Vireo and Acadian Flycatcher – the three birds that I have missed through being in work, due to them either being one day wonders or departing before the weekend came around. Undoubtedly there will certainly be another Red-eyed Vireo, and with an almost equal certainty there most definitely WON’T be another Acadian Flycatcher (at least for a very VERY long time!) but Great Knot?

Now endangered in their native range of Australia and SE Asia, and with populations in decline due to habitat destruction, there have only ever been 4 records of Great Knot in Britain – the last of which was the Breydon Water bird in Norfolk two years ago. Before then, the last individual was 10 years earlier in Lancashire back in 2004 - the chances of another one coming around so soon were looking very slim. 

It was therefore quite a surprise and rather unexpected when reports surfaced of a summer plumaged Great Knot found on the Freshmarsh at Titchwell RSPB – an attractive black and rust coloured adult. With the bird remaining throughout the day and relocating to the beach later in the afternoon, there was hope that we might just be able to grip back this mega wader at the weekend.

The Great Knot at Titchwell!

The Golden Pheasant of the Wolferton Triangle - an update!

It's no secret that I love bright and colourful birds, and the Golden Pheasant at Wolferton Triangle is no exception. Having last seen this magnificent bird over a year ago now back in December 2014, we took the opportunity to revisit the area at the end of 2015 during our trip to Norfolk in an attempt to get further views of this most charismatic of birds.

Dividing birders opinions, with many regarding him as part of the “Plastic Fantastic” crew, I am firmly in the ‘admirers’ camp, loving the touch of colour and vibrancy that he brings to the woods of Norfolk. Love him or loathe him, there is no denying that with a fiery golden plumage and sporadic sightings, the Golden Pheasant is a very special bird indeed.

Parking up at the favoured spot where he is most often seen (on the northern edge of the triangle just before the ‘Give Way’ sign), we watched and waited for any hint of crimson and gold amongst the thick Rhododendron undergrowth.... 

Waiting for the Golden Pheasant to emerge.....

With mornings being the best time of day to catch a sighting, we were there bright and early, arriving at just after half 8. We didn’t have to wait long – a little before 9am we struck gold – a hint of vibrant yellow and striking red emerging slowly from the hedge line – our Golden Pheasant.

We watched on as he ventured across the verge and on to the road, stopping to pick at seeds along the roadside edge before crossing over to the other side. Foraging for around 20 minutes, this was our longest encounter by far, and we enjoyed fantastic views as he paraded in front of the car in all his fiery glory, eventually disappearing back in to the undergrowth of his favoured triangle. Always an amazing experience with this bird, it was brilliant to watch him at length, and interestingly, unlike our visit a year earlier, this time we didn't see any Common Pheasants in the area at all.

With a number of birds once present in this particular location, it is now possible that sadly just one male remains. Comparing my photos from this winter with those taken over a year earlier and studying the head markings, it is clear to see that this is the same individual - the feather patterns on the neck match up perfectly.

Both photos show the extensive dark patch in the bottom corner of the golden hood.

Not as easy to see on the bird's left hand side, looking closely, both photos show the same black stripe patterns and gold spacing.

I also took a look at many of the recent photographs of the Wolferton Golden Pheasant taken in the past few months to ascertain whether these too were all of the same individual. Again, looking at the patterns on the neck feathers, the position and thickness of the stripes are identical, indicating that they are indeed all of the same male. In particular, the thick patch of black stripes in the bottom corner of the bird's right hand side can clearly be seen on all photographs.  

Photos kindly supplied by David Johnstone (Top Left), Christopher Teague (Top Middle) Max Hellicar (Bottom Left) and Harry Murphy (Bottom Middle).

Whilst not as obvious, the black stripes and the gold spacing in between are also identical on the bird's left hand side. 

Photos kindly supplied by Steve Gantlett (Top Left) and Harry Murphy (Bottom Right)

Whether there are indeed other individuals present in the triangle remains to be seen - there could well be females remaining undetected in the secrecy of the Rhododendron cover or other males that rarely venture out on to the road, meaning that the same showy male gets repeatedly photographed. However, the fact that each photograph I've found over the past year depicts the same individual indicates it is highly likely that he is indeed the very last Golden Pheasant in the Wolferton Triangle - an extremely sad fact if true. If anyone has any photos that possibly depict a different bird, or if two birds have been seen together, I would be interested to hear. 

One thing is for certain, once this particular male’s time is up and he is no longer found to be strutting proudly around the triangle, it will become much harder to see this elusive species in Britain, and the Wolferton Triangle will most certainly be a lot less colourful as a result.

For a further look in to the history behind the Wolferton population and an in depth analysis of the genetics regarding the black throat patch on the birds, check out last year’s blog post here. 

Norfolk Birding - Shore Larks, Rough-legged Buzzards, Bean Geese and the Golden Pheasant of Wolferton

Me and Alex decided to take a New Year’s trip to Norfolk in order to catch up with all the birding goodies that were on offer in what is surely one of the most productive of counties for birds. With a wealth of species concentrated in a small area near Kings Lynn, we had three days to connect with an impressive line-up of great birds.

Staking out Flitcham that afternoon for the resident Pallid Harrier unfortunately drew a blank (although we had already seen an individual last autumn in Somerset) but we were rewarded with a beautiful flock of feeding Bramblings, a hunting Merlin and a pair of gaudy Egyptian Geese as consolation prizes.

Phone-scoped shot of one of the Bramblings

The next day saw an early rise and the obligatory trip to the now famous Wolferton Triangle in order to catch up with the resident Lord of the Estate – the legendary Golden Pheasant himself, before heading over to Choseley Drying Barns to try and spot one of the two Rough-legged Buzzards that have been calling this area home. 

After eventually finding the right location and after a fair bit of driving and scanning fields, I managed to pick out a pale coloured Buteo heading over the ridge with pronounced black carpal patches and a white upper tail – our target bird.

Enjoying brief views, we drove over to the field in question and after some careful scanning, I picked up our sought after Buzzard, this time perched in the field next to us. Taking flight and being harassed by two persistent crows, we both got excellent views as this majestic raptor flew along the edge of the field, the white inner tail above distinctive along with the much paler wings and characteristic markings.

With the Rough-legged Buzzard now out of sight and perched in a distant tree, we headed over to Cley for our final stop of the day in an attempt to catch up with one of the four Bean Geese that had been present on the reserve associating with the regular Pink Feet. Travelling past many farm fields, it was a refreshing change to see coveys of both Grey and Red-legged Partridges in large numbers as we drove through Norfolk, with both species being plentiful.

Arriving at Cley, we immediately locked on to a Barn Owl gracefully quartering the reeds in the afternoon sun, while several Marsh Harriers patrolled the reserve.  Entering the hides, the Bean Geese were extremely difficult to pick out amongst the large flock of Pink Feet, and after some careful scanning it wasn't until the other birders in the next hide along pointed them out to me that I was able to pick them out. Extremely similar to Pink Footed Geese, the good views really enabled us to note the subtle differences - their orange bills really stood out from the pink bills of the Pink Feet. Having only ever seen one Bean Goose before at Telford a few years ago, this was a great opportunity to really get my eye in on these two confusion species.

Two orange billed Bean Geese interspersed with the Pink Feet

A quick check on the fields further up the track resulted in us also trying to pick out the Black Brant that had been present in the Brent goose flock for several weeks. Alex eventually managed to pick it up in what was becoming fast fading light, and we both admired this attractive American subspecies - my first in the UK. 

Differing from our Brent Geese by sporting a complete white neck collar and having much bolder white markings on the sides, once we had our eye in we could easily pick out this American stray amongst the hundreds of Dark-bellied Brents. 

The Dark-bellied Brent Geese - Black Brant at the bottom left!

With the light now disappearing, we headed back to the hotel for a feast of pizza and pasta before our final day in Norfolk and what would be our first birds of 2016. 

With New Year’s Day dawning and just one full day left, we decided to head over to Thornham Harbour where 3 Shore Larks had been present on the shingle beach next to the estuary mouth. One of my favourite small shore birds and a species I don’t often come across in the North West, I was keen to catch up with these delightful Bumble Bee patterned larks.

Stopping to admire the flock of around 30 Twite that had been feeding amongst the salt marsh plants right next to the car park and giving excellent views, we headed off in to the dunes to locate the Shore Larks.

With an ever present stream of New Year’s Day birders having scopes set up watching the birds, they weren't hard to find, and we were soon enjoying close views as the three birds fed along the tide line in the debris washed up by the waves.

Having only ever seen the Rossall Point bird last winter, it was great to admire these brightly coloured birds as they went about their business and it was a fantastic end to what had been a hugely successful trip to Norfolk.

Norfolk Birding Bonanza - Blyth's Reed, Red-flanked Bluetail, Isabelline Shrike and warblers galore!

With a cluster of top quality birds on the Norfolk coast coupled with the promise of strong easterly winds all weekend, the tantalising lure of Sibes proved too much to resist, and we made the decision to head to Norfolk for two days in order to try and catch up with the bonanza of avian delights on offer.

Driving down on the Saturday and arriving at Wells Wood for around 1, a whole host of bad luck and timing meant that we missed both the Blyth’s Reed AND the Red-flanked Bluetail, with each one showing while we were searching for the other! The Isabelline Shrike at nearby Holkham also gave us the run-around, and no sooner had we got our bins on a distant Shrike (there had also been a Great Grey knocking around in the same area) it flew deep in to cover, with us not having been able to make out any detail in the now driving rain and approaching darkness.

Thankfully, after a tasty Chinese and overnight stop in Kings Lynn, Sunday dawned much more promising, and despite being on the back foot we were able to catch up with all our target species in just the one day.

Due to Blyth’s Reed Warbler being a lifer for both me and Alex, we started with what had proved to be the trickiest species for many to connect with, staking out the patch of scrub it was frequenting for the first hour in the morning in the hopes of getting a glimpse of what can be a difficult bird to catch up with. Despite some initial confusion as to exactly which area the bird had been reported from first thing that morning, those assembled eventually managed to locate it down to the exact bush, the harsh tacking call betraying its whereabouts – all we had to do was wait for it to pop up! After an excruciating few minutes it obliged, the dull brown head peeking up above the brambles before perching right out in the open for several seconds, looking straight at us and giving fantastic views (for a skulking and elusive warbler that is) to all those on our side of the bush. Moments later it was gone, vanishing back in to the depths of the bramble thicket and deep under cover.

Much more grey-brown in colouration than the rufous buff brown tones of our normal Reed Warblers, with a relatively short primary projection in comparison, along with a darker tipped lower mandible on the bill, the subtle differences were definitely noticeable in the field. Favouring shrubs and bushes as opposed to reeds, this was also a typical habitat for a Blyth’s Reed Warbler to frequent, and we were thrilled to have got such close views, with the bird being mere metres away.

Having got Blyth’s Reed in the bag before 10, we headed over to the dried up drinking pool in the hopes of catching up with what would be my second lifer of the day in the form of a Red-flanked Bluetail. This was a bird that I had been wanting to see for a very long time, having dipped one at Flamborough on a visit to Yorkshire a few years ago - on the day that typically the first for Cheshire turned up on Hilbre Island, just an hour away from my house! I’ve loved Red-flanked Bluetails since I was very small, having always admired the photograph of a beautiful blue male in my red Collins bird book, so this was probably the bird I was most eager to see.

After a 20 minute wait having just missed the Bluetail showing only moments before we arrived, we eventually caught a glimpse between the tangle of trees as this blue tailed wonder hopped between the branches. Flitting from bush to bush and feeding on the ground amongst the bases of the trees, we eventually got much better views as the Bluetail flew up to the tops of the taller trees right out in the open, flicking the characteristic blue tinged tail and with the rusty red patches on the flanks clearly visible.

TERRIBLE shots of the Bluetail!!

Being either a female or a first winter male due to the drab colouration (as opposed to the bright electric blue of an adult male) this bird has been loyal to the same small patch of trees for a number of days, and while elusive, tended to put on a good performance for the crowd of admirers at regular intervals.

Satisfied with our views and with the rain now starting to fall, we headed further down the path to hopefully connect with both the Hume’s Warbler and one of the many Pallas’s Warblers that had been frequenting the trees for several days. Whilst Hume’s wasn’t a lifer for either of us, having seen the Warwickshire bird that overwintered two Januarys ago, it was still nice to see another, and we literally bumped in to this bird, with me spotting it on an open branch right in front of us at eye level after another birder tipped us off that it was calling in the trees directly to our left. Getting much better views than 2 years ago, with the bird calling loudly and frequently as it darted through the branches, the subtly more silvery and washed out tones in comparison to a Yellow-browed were definitely noticeable, as was the shorter and faster call.

The sheer abundance of Goldcrests in this area was overwhelming, seemingly on every branch of every tree, their tinny high pitched calls echoing all around. A beautiful male Firecrest further in to the pines was a fantastic find by Alex, showing amazingly well and providing my best views in years of this often hard to come by species. My second favourite British bird, I always love to see one, but yet again this one proved to be camera shy and was determined to avoid my lens.

With the car park running out we needed to head back, but a large crowd gathered around a line of trees further down the path caught our eye. Hurrying over, it transpired a Pallas’s Warbler was on view and showing – one of my target species for this year and another bird I have been wanting to see for a good while. With some top directions, we were soon able to get on this tiny warbler, flitting amongst a Holly tree like a small fairy, continuously feeding and hovering between the leaves. With the bright yellow supercilium clearly visible through the leaves as if fed, along with the large white wing bar, it was fantastic to watch as it dashed through the branches, only occasionally coming out in to the open and providing typical Pallas’s views! With several present over the weekend but proving very difficult to pin down, it was great to jam in on this eastern wanderer by chance.

Despite the Holkham Isabelline Shrike having been reported that day, the individual at Beeston Common near Sheringham had been showing amazingly well, and even though there was an additional 35 minute drive, we opted to head there instead of trying Holkham again. This proved to be an excellent decision, and as soon as we had arrived at the layby and walked the 2 minutes to the patch of ground the shrike had taken up residence at, we caught sight of it in a bush perched right in front of us. No running, walking long distances, waiting for hours on end or tracking a bird endlessly over a site – the ideal twitch!

With a much plainer back as opposed to a Red-backed Shrike, the Isabelline performed like a star, regularly diving to the ground for prey and hovering to catch insects mid-air, often returning to the same perch to impale or eat a number of wasps. 

The beautiful rusty coloured tail

The Shrike and a Blue Tit determined not to look at each other!

Satisfied with our views, having watched the shrike flit from bush to bush in front of us for a good while, we headed back to the car where a Long-eared Owl had been found in a nearby Sycamore tree. Having only just arrived in off the sea, this tired visitor seemed settled amongst the boughs, cryptically camouflaged and requiring just the right angle of view to make it out behind the leaves.

With a showy Olive-backed Pipit just a few minutes up the road (our route back would take us directly past the site) it would have been rude not to call in. Having only seen one bird prior to this at Spurn last autumn, with very brief views of it in a bush before it flitted out, I was keen to see one well in a lot more detail. Despite an initial wait of 20 minutes or so when the bird was assumed to be in a tree, the call eventually went up as one eagle-eyed birder had spotted it in the wood – behind us! All the assembled birders had their backs to it, and who knows how long it had been strutting about unnoticed while everyone was looking the other way.

The light was far too poor for any decent photos to come out, but through binoculars we enjoyed great views as it pottered amongst the leaf litter. Quite a large pipit, the prominent gold supercilium was unmistakeable, and it reminded me slightly of the Northern Waterthrushes in New York earlier in the year – if this was foraging at the side of a muddy water inlet I would definitely have done a double take at first glance!

With four lifers over the course of what had been a fantastically productive day in Norfolk, along with a whole host of other amazing birds, our trip had been a complete success, resulting in what was probably one of our best days birding in a good while. Cleaning up on all our targets, huge thanks to Alex for driving and convincing me Norfolk would be better than Spurn! With Isabelline Shrike also being a milestone bird in being my 350^th species for Britain, the quest for 400 is now well and truly underway! 

Booted Warbler - Gramborough Hill, Norfolk

After a great day out on the Saturday at Birdfair, news broke during the afternoon of a Booted Warbler found at Gramborough Hill in Norfolk. Being just over 2 hours away and having exhausted the stands at Birdfair, it would have been rude not to pay a visit, so me, Alex and Chris Bridge headed off over to Norfolk. With south easterlies forecast for the night and through to Sunday, this also seemed a good place to base ourselves for a fall of easterly migrants.

Making good time and arriving at around quarter to 7 (special thanks to Alex for driving to Norfolk unexpectedly!), we sprinted the short distance over the shingle and up the hill, joining the small crowd of birders stationed watching the patch of scrubby bushes the Booted Warbler had been frequenting. Having just missed an appearance by seconds (I was now regretting that toilet stop) we now faced a tense wait to see if it would reappear, especially as Chris had a train to catch at Sheringham in around an hour. Being at Birdfair also meant we were totally unprepared, with just a single pair of binoculars and scope between the three of us! Potential nightmare situation waiting to happen if the views were brief.

Luckily, I soon spotted a bird pop up on the small Sycamore tree it had last been seen around. Having no optics, I quickly told Alex to get on the bird, especially as a Pied Flycatcher was also knocking around the same bush. With the other birders now on it, it was indeed confirmed as the Booted Warbler, and with Chris managing to get on it in the scope, that just left me with eye-only views. Waiting for a reappearance and now armed with Alex’s bins, the bird thankfully reappeared after around ten minutes, allowing me to get great views as it flitted from branch to branch feeding on flies.

Chris's record shot

Quite drab and brown in appearance at first glance, perching out in the open allowed us to see the most notabe features well – the strong head pattern stuck out the most to me, with a distinctive short pale supercilium and quite dark lores. Similar to both Olivaceous warblers and Sykes’s Warbler, Booted Warblers can be separated by the shorter bill, strong supercilium and darker colouration – the extremely similar but rare Sykes’s being the general colour of a milky tea and having very weak head markings in comparison.

Recorded annually but with the majority of records coming from Yorkshire, Norfolk and the Scillies, Booted Warblers are not really a bird that is recorded in the North West, and with no records in the midlands, we were lucky that we didn’t have to make a mammoth journey to connect with one, especially after last year’s only mainland record being in Lothian, Scotland.

Happy with our views, this was a great bird to catch up with, that even though might fall under the category of “Little Brown Job”, is subtly beautiful in its own way. 

Citril Finch chaos hits Norfolk - 10th May Holkham Pines

Seeing that something huge had clearly broken on the internet, but with no details as to what bird, I checked my phone in anticipation, expecting a Mediterranean warbler or a rare tern.

Ah.

Someone once asked me what the least likely bird from Europe to turn up in Britain again would be, and after a bit of thought I’d replied Citril Finch. Sedentary and living in the high mountains of the Pyrenees and over to the Black Forest, there has only been one previous record in the UK, of a male bird on Fair Isle back in June 2008 that stayed for around 5 days. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have thought there would be another one any time soon.

But here we were, over in Cheshire, with a Citril Finch remarkably flying around the dunes and pines of north Norfolk.

With the initial reports all being of flight views we were a little hesitant – would the bird stick around and would the vast majority connect? It was certainly a hell of a long way to go. A certain Christopher Bridge had already informed us that he was well on his way (always sneakily twitching the birds that matter!) and as countless others did the same, 2 or so hours after the initial report I finally managed to persuade Alex that we needed to set off and see this bird. Immediately.

After a relatively straightforward 4 hour drive to Holkham, we were encouraged by the fact that the bird had been showing well on the deck at intervals throughout the day – I had a good feeling about this one.

Arriving at the extortionately priced car park on Lady Anne’s Drive just before 4pm, we started the long 1 ¾ mile treck through the pines and to the western side of the trees. A steady stream of birders passed in the opposite direction, evidently having connected and heading home happy whilst we hurriedly walked on, hoping that the bird would still be around!

After what felt like FOREVER (but in reality was probably only 20 minutes or so), we turned a corner and a passing birder gave us some encouragement to spur us on – the bird was showing right now and it was only a few metres more along the path. Heading over the bank, we were greeted by a huge mass of birders, scopes and cameras, all firmly focused on the small hollow where this mega Alpine vagrant was clearly favouring.

Thankfully a kind birder let us look through his scope, and just like that, Citril Finch, in the UK. Mega. Peering through the foliage, we were greeted by great views of this delightfully bright finch, a beautiful spring male with sunshine yellow underparts and a fantastic sooty great shawl around the neck.

Enjoying brief views as he fed contently in the sand, all of a sudden: “It’s flown. In that tree, it’s gone”. The bird must’ve decided it had had enough for the time being, and had sadly disappeared, presumably off in to the extensive dunes to the west.

Exceptionally relieved we had managed to connect, 5 minutes later and we would have missed it by moments (one toilet stop could have ruined everything!), but I was a little sad that we hadn’t managed to get a record shot – very reminiscent of our initial encounter with the Red-throated Pipit the weekend prior!

After a search in the nearby dunes, me and Alex decided the best option would be to wait back at the hollow, as the bird had been following a pattern and had been returning throughout the day. Sure enough, after around half an hour or so, the cry went up of “It’s back! In the tree with the Chaffinch”.

The hollow the Citril Finch was favouring

Proving exceptionally hard to see and evidently very camouflaged amongst the sun dappled leaves of the Sycamore, it took an absolute age to get on the bird (I was very glad I’d already seen it at this point, many that hadn’t must have been going out of their minds!) and the majority of us couldn’t see it until after it had flown to the floor and begun to feed again.

Whilst the numbers had died down by the late afternoon, there was still a considerable crowd present

Enjoying great scope views for around 20 minutes or so, we watched the bird at length and I managed to take some record shots of this amazing little alpine finch as we watched it happily mooch amongst the weeds.

There is always some speculation about rare finches and whether they may be escapees – it was only after a lot of research in to feather isotopes that the Fair Isle bird was accepted, having proved to originate from the Black Forest area in Germany. However, the absence of any rings and the fact that our bird was in the most natural habitat as possible that mirrored the alpine forests of its usual range (not a feeder in someone’s garden or anything dodgy!) really strengthens this individuals credibility of being a wild bird.

Indeed, whilst Citril Finches are largely sedentary birds and are often described as only short distance migrants, studies have shown that birds do move between breeding and wintering ranges, with the longest distance travelled by an individual bird measured at a remarkable 615km.

As Norfolk is only 732km from the Black Forest (the closest Citril Finch population to Britain) it is more than likely that this individual, like the Fair Isle bird, also originated from there, having got caught up in a weather system, Indeed, a female was similarly trapped in Finland during the spring of 1995 having been travelling amongst a flock of Siskin.

The distance from the Black Forest in Germany to Norfolk

Having seen a Citril Finch briefly feeding on the ground on our trip to Northern Spain last April, I never would have imagined that we would be seeing one here in the UK just over a year later! A great bird for those who weren’t able to get up to Fair Isle 7 years ago and proving that you never know what can turn up!

Citril Finch from Northern Spain

Present until dusk and seen very briefly around 6am on Monday with no further sign since, the bird has sadly probably now moved on. With Britain’s only record of Red-breasted Nuthatch also coming from Holkham Pines, having overwintered there in 1989 through to the May of 1990, it’s anyone guess what the next mega to hit land there will be – White-crowned Black Wheatear anyone?!