Wildlife

James Lowen

Our conservative estimates of birds seen were off the scale. 100 Spotted Flycatcher. 50 Pied Flycatcher. 100++ Common Redstart. Perhaps 50 Northern Wheatear. 30-ish Willow Warbler. 13 Whinchat. 15 Garden Warbler. Smaller numbers of Common and Lesser Whitethroats. 10 Tree Pipits. A single, interesting-looking Acro (we sensed Marsh, but photos were blurry). Two Barred Warblers. A Red-breasted Flycatcher.

Ash was right. There had been an arrival. And, indeed, it was the mightiest fall of early-autumn drift migrants I can remember since Sep 1993 at Spurn (and I only caught the tail-end of that while twitching Demoiselle Crane). The trees, bushes and ground were covered with flycatchers and chats and (to a lesser extent) warblers. Birds were flooding west and inland all the time. There was constant calling all around us - and constant movement in the bushes and trees. All birds full of energy and very active. We didn't know where to look. It was insane.

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8 Sep 2024 Fall

On Sunday 1 Sep, I was watching my daughter play cricket as birders were enjoying Norfolk's largest fall for 20 years, with an astonishing 110 Common Redstart counted on Blakeney Point on the back of easterlies and cloud. I was jealous, but consoled myself by eyeing up Friday's weather, which promised easterlies following a clear night in Scandinavia. The skies, however, were forecast to remain clear, so the chance of stuff falling from the sky onto land was not overly high. Nevertheless, I booked the afternoon off in what counts for my work diary.

We didn't doubt that there was something rarer about somewhere, but (a) flicking bins up at 'common' migrants meant we were unlikely to find it and (b) it was the numbers that were special: we'll get other chances for rare birds - but today was a once-in-a-generation experience. By far my most exciting birding experience for years. A privilege to witness.

Late morning on Friday, Ash Saundersreported a nice selection of migrants in Wells Woods. That perked me up, esp when Ash said that he felt they were fresh in. I shut down the computer and headed north. Reaching the coast, it was Red Admirals that caught the eye. I swiftly counted 370, and reckoned there were actually many, many more.