Just Another Shopping Trip Or Was It?

Houghton-On-The-Hill, South Pickenham, The Cressinghams & Threxton Saturday 11^th April 2015

Ring Ouzel

I don’t know how many times I’ve started this blog with: “We just had to go to Swaffham to buy some birdseed,” but that was how it started. We did see a Kestrel, normally the master of the air being buffeted about by the wind in Saham Toney but otherwise very little until our shopping had been done.

We left the car-park at 3.30pm it was a bright but blustery day with the temperature at 13˚C. We made our way to Houghton-On-The-Hill where we parked up by the church. Jan immediately heard a Chiffchaff but we couldn’t see it. There was plenty of activity and we saw a Willow Warbler, Mistle Thrush, Long Tailed Tits, Robin, Great Tit, Blue Tits and a Pied Wagtail. There were also plenty of Corvids (Crows, Rooks & Jackdaws), Wood Pigeon, Pheasants and Partridges in the vicinity as well.

As we made our way along Peddars Way we saw a Sparrowhawk, 2 Hares and a Chiffchaff in the hedge. Carrying on across the crossroads towards Little Cressingham we followed a Kestrel hunting the hedgerows, saw 2 Hares and a Muntjac Deer.

Then Jan decided to turn right into Priory Road towards Great Cressingham and it was just past a converted Barn that Jan spotted a bird that I first thought was a Starling but it turned out to be a female Ring Ouzel which was obviously having a stop from her migration from the European Mountains and Highlands to our upland moors and mountainsides. We watched her for over 40 minutes during which time she caught many worms. Even a pair of Ladies out walking their dogs stopped and had a look through our binoculars. Jan got some good video footage of the bird before we left her to continue her refuelling. There were quite a lot small birds moving in the hedgerow in this location; we saw Blue Tit, Great Tit, Chaffinch and Robin.

Great Cressingham

We then made our way to Little Cressingham Watermill seeing 4 Hares and an Early Bumblebee on the way. As we turned into Fairstead Lane we disturbed a Buzzard and Kestrel. There were several Lapwings in the fields either side of the road. We stopped at the Watermill and saw 5 Goldfinches, 2 Mute Swans and 3 Greylag Geese.

Making our way through Threxton we saw 4 Hares.

Sunset Over Threxton

This is what we saw:

2 Kestrels

Buzzard

Chiffchaff

Willow Warbler

Mistle Thrush

Pied Wagtail

Wood Pigeon

Corvids (Crows, Rooks & Jackdaws)

Sparrowhawk

Chaffinch

Robin

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Blackbird

Lapwings

Ring Ouzel

Pheasant

Partridge

Muntjac Deer

12 Hares

Rabbit

Grey Squirrel

Keep your eyes peeled and good spotting.