Saturday 31st January 2026: Off to the Norfolk Broads

 We had booked an extra night’s accommodation in the Norfolk Broads, with a primary goal of seeking out the Black-winged Kite, a rare UK species, although one we have seen overseas. However, we made several stops en route, to try to maximise our Norfolk tally. We took the road towards Fakenham, stopping by a field of geese, reported to contain some Bean Geese. However, the light was atrocious, the angle was difficult due to another car already parked, and our scopes were in the boot, so scanning would be difficult and we did not want top flush the entire flock! With some distance to travel, and having already seen Bean Geese at Abberton on Monday, w decided to press on. It really had been a wild goose chase!

With news of a flock of Twite at Blakeney headed towards Cley, we decided to divert to the beach road at Cley, where we could scan the marsh from the sea wall. We had seen birds here on a previous year, and with no sightings on this visit, we wanted to give it a try. Other birders were on sight, and scanning an area near an overturned boat, but the only birds we could find were Reed Buntings. They then heard news of eleven birds on the fence line at Gramborough Hill, so we hot-footed it to the area. I found some distant birds in the scope, which others confirmed were the Twite, but they were too far away for me to confirm any familiar features, such as the yellow bill or pink rump. Unfortunately the flock then disappeared into the distance before we all had a chance to investigate further. 

From here, we drove directly to Hickling Broad NWT, from where our target Kite was regularly reported. It was a mighty long walk to find the bird, which in fact had moved beyond their boundary, and it was a distant view even through the scope, but the bird was clear enough, perched for some time on a fence post close to a distant barn, then busily preening. Eventually it moved, flying just a short distance to another tree, but soon began hunting over the fields, giving good views as we tracked it through the scopes. It frequently hovered, like a Kestrel, before dropping sharply down to seek its prey, and its distinctive black-tipped wings were clearly visible as it flew, an attractive and striking bird, with a graceful flight.

The other highlight here, was our first ever UK Common Crane. We heard the distinctive bugling call as we walked along the track, and managed to spot two birds disappearing over the tree line. Then, close to where the Kite was perched, a group of at least six more birds were seen close to the reeds, again very distant, but clear enough through the scopes to confirm what they were.

Common Cranes

Our final stop of the day was at Sea Palling. The tide was high, and there was no sign of the hoped for Iceland Gull, but on a small patch of beach and around the rocky groynes we enjoyed the spectacle of Purple Sandpipers, energetic Sanderlings, and a group of Turnstones active at the edge of the surf. A lovely scene to end another enjoyable day.