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Mike Buckland

@mcbuckland.bsky.social

Birder

177 Posts802 Follower759 Folgt
Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · last wk.

Despite rapidly reducing water levels at Stiffkey Puddle (nee Fen) my persistence surprisingly paid off this morning when a very unexpected wader resolved into a lovely adult Pectoral Sandpiper. Not sure if this or yesterday’s juvenile Goosander was most surprising? #norfolkbirding

The shallow puddle of water remaining at Stiffkey Fen will soon be gone completely in the hot dry weather. An AI sharpened and de-noised version of a phone scoped video screen grab taken at distance and in heat haze. Not sure if it recovers details or enhances based on reference material?The original screen grab before being AI’d
Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Driving to Uig for the North Uist ferry on Friday I glanced across a loch adjacent to the road & noticed a Diver close to the bank & thankfully a lay-by. A quick stop was rewarded with close views of a pair of immaculate Black-throated Divers. Is there a more impeccable bird in the UK? #UKBirding

The impeccable Black-throated Diver with its dapper monochrome plumage of pinstripes and spots played off against the gorgeous grey nape, black flanks and necklaced black throat. How do feathers form those patterns?
Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 2mo ago

A 45-year itch finally scratched this weekend - Corn Crake! Somehow I’ve never seen a passage bird (very rare in Kent and Norfolk) and I missed them on 10+ Scilly visits. They weren’t coming to me so I had to go to them. Life isn’t getting any longer! Balranald delivered. #UKBirding

An unusually showy Corncrake performing at Balranald on North Uist. After calling from the top of some grass bunds in a garden it decided to cross the road in front of me, then continued its calling in full view on the other side of the road. Other than this one I saw another walking and calling across an area of short grass and saw one in flight across a field. All the others remained typically hidden in Irish beds and grass.
Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 3mo ago

This stunning hybrid 1S Black-headed x Mediterranean Gull showed a real mix of species and age features, incl a full (Med-like) jet black (ad BHG shape) head, a BHG bill with a Med-like red tint, a bold (Med-type) white eye ring, a pale grey back, and Med-like reddish legs & tertials #NorfolkBirding

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Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Nice to bump into this Lapland Bunting on Burnham Overy dunes on 22/04. The local Sky Larks were less enthusiastic, constantly chasing it away but it gave occasional good views. I think the black face, black shoulder patches and black flank streaks indicate a 1st summer male? #NorfolkBirding

Lapland Bunting is an increasingly rare winter visitor to the north Norfolk coast and consequently a very scarce spring sighting. The black face, black shoulders and solid black flank stripes indicate this is a first summer male Lapland Bunting.
Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 4mo ago

The unpredictability of UK birding is so much part of the fun. Who would have predicted a Ross’s Gull in mid April walking around behind a tractor in a potato field in North Norfolk? Great find by Trev Girling who got the news out immediately and superb relocate by Matt Lonsdale. #NorfolkBirding

A first-summer Ross’s Gull, a bird of the high and remote Arctic, spent the day following tractors around newly sown potato fields south of Thornham in North Norfolk after an initial brief sighting at RSPB Titchwell. For much of the day it was distant in heat haze but occasionally better views if you happened to be in the right place, but later on gave itself up close to a road feeding with summer plumaged Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls.
Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Thought the chance of seeing Twite in Norfolk this winter had gone so delighted to see this flock of 16 at Cley this evening. Also the first time I’ve seen Twite in the UK feeding on Salix buds (a behaviour I have seen only in Armenia with ssp brevirostris Caucasian Twite). #NorfolkBirding

Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Definitely weather to stay indoors, broken by a brief dash to nearby Morston when an adult Red-breasted Goose was found by some intrepid souls. It is unringed, associating with 7 unringed Barnacle Geese within a flock of c500 Dark-bellied Brents #NorfolkBirding

An adult Red-breasted Goose with Barnacle and Dark-bellied Brent Geese in a field at Morston in Norfolk. The bird is unringed and associates with the 7 Barnacle Geese. Perhaps not the ideal host species for a wild Red-breasted Goose? Typically they turn up here with Dark-bellied Brents which do have overlapping breeding ranges.
Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 7mo ago

After yesterday’s lovely slinky Todd’s it was a surprising contrast to (re)find this big, presumably canadensis Atlantic Canada Goose in a flock of harvested-beet feeding Pink-footed Geese today. Big lump of a long-necked bird, behaving naturally and probably a genuine wild vagrant #NorfolkBirding

A very contrasting bird to yesterday’s Todd’s Canada this large, bulky and long-necked Canada Goose is likely a wild canadensis Atlantic Canada Goose. Feeding naturally on harvested beet among a huge flock of Pink-footed Geese it has been seen occasionally in different areas of North Norfolk this winter. Thankfully the few feral Canada’s here don’t generally associate with Pink-feet and haven’t developed a fondness for sugar beet.
Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Todd’s Canada Goose today on the freshmarsh at Burnham Overy, Norfolk. A nice textbook bird, similar size to a Pink-foot, though longer in the body, nice and dark brown including the chest, snaky little slim neck, etc. Hopefully it stays in an easily viewable non disturbable location #NorfolkBirding

Todd’s Canada Goose grazing on Burnham Overy Freshes with host Pink-footed Geese, Dark-bellied Brent’s, Russian White-fronts, Greylags and Barnacles. A smart, small, dark brown bodied individual with slim, thin and relatively short black neck and narrow white face extending under chin.
Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 7mo ago

The Taiga Bean Goose at North Point, Norfolk is a female, based on size and its passive behaviour. Birdguides continue to report as ‘Probable’ despite acknowledging “For all intents and purposes, the bird resembles a female Taiga Bean Goose.” in their weekly round-up. #NorfolkBirding

Female Taiga Bean Goose (left) beside a feral, some might say ‘oven ready’ Greylag Goose. The wedge shaped head, high and forward eye and long, relatively narrow bill all point to an ID of Taiga.
Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 7mo ago

After being away from Norfolk for perhaps the most bird productive five December days ever I was relieved to catch up on some great seasonal birding on an amazing Sunday. Black-bellied Dipper, Eastern Black Redstart, 35+ Common Cranes, Glossy Ibis and Black-shouldered Kite #NorfolkBirding

Common Cranes, Glossy Ibis and Black-shouldered Kite at Ludham Bridge and St Benets Abbey, Black-bellied Dipper at Bintree and Eastern Black Redstart at Sheringham. Norfolk is rocking this Christmas!
Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 8mo ago

A comparison of Hume’s Leaf Warbler (Wells Woods), left, and Yellow-browed Warbler (Holkham), right, from the last two days. Subtle but distinctive differences between these two similar Phylloscopus species supported by their quite different calls. #NorfolkBirding

Hume’s Leaf Warbler (left two) and Yellow-browed Warbler (right two) showing the subtle but distinctive differences between plumage tones and patterns.
Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Hume’s Leaf Warbler is a variable bird. The 3 currently inhabiting Holkham NNR all look different. The two I found on 16th: a grey/greenish rather scruffy bird (top left), & a buff/cream clean bird (top right) & Ash Saunders’ Wells bird is grey with contrasting green secondary edges #NorfolkBirding

Three Hume’s Leaf Warblers are currently inhabiting the Holkham NNR and unlike the consistent looking Yellow-browed Warbler show a variety of plumage tones, which seem to change tone in different lights and at different angles. Of the two in Holkham Pines one is grey/greenish above and a bit scruffy (top left), one is buff/cream and clean (top right), and the bird at Wells (bottom) is grey above with lovely contrasting yellow/greenish secondary edges and a pale central crown. Such lovely birds well worth putting in effort to see.
Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Yesterday with Sibe Phylloscs all around the best I could find was a late Willow Warbler. Today at Holkham I made up for it: first up a Hume’s was soon followed by a Pallas’s and concluded when they were joined in a flock by a Yellow-browed, a Sibe Chiff, a Firecrest & 3 Chiffchaff! #NorfolkBirding

A Hume’s Leaf Warbler showing its distinctive muted shades, buffy supercilium and wing bars was joined in a flock at Holkham Pines in Norfolk by a Pallas’s Warbler, a Yellow-browed Warbler, a Siberian Chiffchaff, 3 Common Chiffchaffs and a Firecrest! Norfolk November birding at its best.
Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 9mo ago

After hearing the American Golden Plover was showing well I popped in to Titchwell but it had gone missing. Managed to find it distantly showing just its head above a bank before the flock flushed and it landed close to the path. Four hurried phone scoped shots later it was gone. #NorfolkBirding

The juvenile American Golden Plover at Titchwell RSPB briefly lands beside a roosting Northern Lapwing on the saltmarsh beside the main path. The darker, greyer plumage, small size, long wings and bright white supercilium contrast with the more golden European Golden Plovers it is associating with. A distant, cropped and out of focus phone scope shot which captures the dark grey underwings of the juvenile American Golden Plover, contrasting with the bright white underwings of its European cousins.
Mike Buckland@mcbuckland.bsky.social · 9mo ago

The cruelty of bird migration laid bare at Cley this morning as a tired Woodcock reached the end of its sea crossing to be met by a hungry Peregrine. Knocked into the water the Woodcock ultimately succumbed to the rough breakers while the Peregrine left with just a tail feather. #NorfolkBirding

A Eurasian Woodcock, intricately marked in hues of brown, reaches the beach at Cley after a lengthy sea crossing in rough winds only to be met by a hunting Peregrine. The Peregrine knocked the Woodcock into the sea where it initially floated while the Falcon tried to pick off its prize, but ultimately lost its life in the surf The juvenile Peregirne Falcon gives up on the hapless Woodcock and leaves with just a tail feather as a reminder of its efforts.