BLOG

16 November 2019 Hooms

Yesterday, Dave Andrews and I joined forces again for a (near-?)final roll of Norfolk's autumnal dice. Easterlies got our hopes up. Clearly, Pine Grosbeak was on our radar (when won't it be when there is the slightest schniff in the Scandinavian air?). But we were also seeking sprite and - as the wind picked up so bush-bashing became even less likely to be profitable - wanting wheatear. Of course, we found none of the above, We scraped two Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap in the woods of Holkham and Wells, and a Short-eared Owl on the dunes at Burnham Overy. To get our kicks, we had to resort to looking at other people's birds - not with any particular intent, of course, but because we were walking past and it would have been rude not to stop for a scan or a look or a pish. The Wells Rough-legged Buzzard showed distantly, hovering nicely, but I didn't have the time to get closer for a proper look. This autumn, I've somehow managed to miss the eight Cattle Egrets that have been around Burnham Overy for weeks, but today coincided with the bovine lovers. Nicest of the lot was Mike Buckland'sHume's ('Hooms') Warbler, found on a Sunday afternoon stroll in Holkham. As we stumbled up the spot, Paul Eele and Andy Bloomfield had just had views, so we stuck around for 15 minutes and managed a few glimpses, one call and a couple of quick shots.