Trip away from SS15 – Norfolk (part 1)

30th January 2023

After picking up my rental car, I drove to EWT Abberton Reservoir just south of Colchester in north east Essex, a planned stopover en-route to north Norfolk.

The huge expanse of EWT Abberton Reservoir is one of Europe's top wetland sites. It is of international importance as a safe haven for wild ducks, swans and other water birds, whether resident, passing through on migration or over-wintering.

The numbers of wintering wildfowl was generally low and disappointingly I failed to see either the small number of Scaup or the single Red-necked Grebe that had been reported for some time prior to my visit.

Additions to my 2023 UK year list: Black-necked Grebe, Long-tailed Duck, Goosander, Goldeneye, Ruff, Linnet

Highlights from my visit included the following:  Long-tailed Duck (1), Smew (1 “redhead” but presumed first winter male), Goosander (8), Goldeneye (++), Wigeon (++), Gadwall (+), Shoveler (+), Mallard (+), Tufted Duck (++), Common Pochard (++), Teal (++), Black-necked Grebe (1), Egyptian Goose (5), Great Crested Grebe (+), Mute Swan (c.15), Canada Goose (c.50), Greylag Goose (c.50), Coot (+++), Cormorant (c.30), Lapwing (++), Dunlin (c.50), Black-tailed Godwit (9), Common Redshank (2),  Ruff (3), Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Kestrel (2), Sparrowhawk (1), Skylark (c.15), Linnet (c.15)

Unfortunately, I was unable to get any reasonable photos, the main reason being that many of the birds at EWT Abberton Reservoir are very distant requiring telescope views.

After visiting EWT Abberton Reservoir, I drove north to RSPB North Warren just outside Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast. En-route, I recorded a further addition to my 2023 UK year list: a single Red Kite on the A12 south of Little Glenham in Suffolk. 

The grazing marshes at RSPB North Warren are a well-known location for Eurasian White-fronted Geese during the winter months but there were no geese of any species to be seen, let alone my target species.

After this, I drove to Reydon, a small village between the A12 and Southwold in Suffolk, where a small group of Waxwings had been reported and photographed for many consecutive days prior to my trip. Again, I was to be disappointed with no sign of these birds.

I was much more successful at the end of the day. En-route to Burnham Deepdale in north Norfolk, I recorded a further addition to my 2023 UK year list: a single Barn Owl between North Creake and Burnham Market in Norfolk.

I finally arrived at Burnham Deepdale for my 3 night stay at Deepdale Camping and Rooms where I had stayed for the first time during my last trip to north Norfolk in early December 2022.

Deepdale Camping and Rooms is an award-winning, eco-friendly accommodation provider situated on the organic Deepdale Farm in the village of Burnham Deepdale on the north Norfolk coast. Please see here here for my comments on this excellent accommodation which provides an ideal base for birding in north Norfolk.

During this stay, I took advantage of the exceptionally good value winter offer of 3 nights for the price of 2 nights and paid just £80 for my stay.

After arriving at Deepdale Camping and Rooms and being shown to my room, I walked over to the communal kitchen to make a coffee. As I did so, I briefly heard a very loud calling male Tawny Owl immediately outside the building. This was an excellent start to my stay and yet another addition to my 2023 UK year list.

I also added another species to my 2023 UK year list, namely Pink-footed Goose, although I only heard the sound of the flocks passing over in the darkness. I had to wait until the following morning to actually see these birds which, given my experience when I last stayed, seem to commute regularly over Deepdale Camping and Rooms in the evenings (when they fly to roost on the saltmarshes) and the mornings (when they leave their overnight roost to fly out to the farmland to feed for the day).

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