Martham Broad NNR, Norfolk, Britain.

Visiting Friends.

Trip to Uk, Day Seventeen.

Ebird List for walk.

 

A distant windpump on the far side of Martham Broad.

I set off early from Albrighton and headed East to the far side of Norfolk, a journey with was supposed to take 3 and a bit hours, so 5.5 hours later I got through the maze of roadworks and arrived at Judy and Mike's near Martham Broad where we spent the rest of the Morning have a catchup and then some lunch.

The first Pump along the walk.

Later I went for a walk out across the fields skirting the edge of the broad and the around to the Hornsey Road and back to the house. Along the first part of the walk I was surprised to see what were probably hundreds of

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) and several Migrant Hawkers (Aeshna mixta) and in the same area Mute Swan (Cisne Vulgar / Cygnus olor), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Black-headed Gull (Gaviota Riedora / Larus ridibundus), Rook (Graja / Corvus frugilegus), Common Starling (Estornino Pinto / Sturnus vulgaris), Gadwall (Anade Friso / Anas strepera) and most surprising was a nice male Ring Ouzel (Mirlo Capiblanco / Turdus torquatus) which flew up from the reeds and dropped onto the top of some brambles before diving in to the center of them.

Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus).

I continued on to where I could see the water and found several Great Crested Grebes (Somormujo Lavanco / Podiceps cristatus), Greylag Geese (Ansar Común / Anser anser), Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca) and on the fields on the opposite side of the track a single Northern Lapwing (Avefria Europea / Vanellus vanellus), Stock Dove (Paloma Zurita / Columba oenas), Common Kestrel (Cernicalo Vulgar / Falco tinnunculus), Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Garceta Común / Egreeta garzetta), Marsh Harrier (Aguilucho Lagunero Occidental / Circus aeruginosus), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone) and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Gaviota Sombria / Larus fuscus).

Further along the edge of the reeds I could hear but didn't a group of Bearded Tit (Reedling) (Bigotudo / Panurus biarmicus), a calling Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti) and in the distance over a different part of the Broad I could see large skeins of geese which going by their calls were probably Pink-footed Geese (Ánsar Piquicorto / Anser brachyrhynchus). 

Stock Dove (Paloma Zurita / Columba oenas).

As I continued on around this part of the loop heading towards Hornsey Road I added Sparrowhawk (Gavilán Común / Accipiter nisus), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Pheasant (Faisán Vulgar / Phaisanus colchicus), Skylark (Alondra Común / Alauda arvensis), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis),  Meadow Pipit (Bisbita Pratense / Anthus pratensis), Pied Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla yarrellii), Common Stonechat (Tarabilla Común / Saxicola torquata), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes) and a very nice European Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus).

European Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus).

I reached the road and carefully made my way back towards the house as the road was quite busy and the 40MPH limit was advisery by the looks of thngs, as I walked I had 3 Common Cranes (Grulla Común / Grus grus) fly passed along with Red-legged Partridge (Perdiz Roja / Alectoris rufa), Herring Gull (Gaviota Argéntea Europea / Larus argentatus) and 7x Great Cormorants (Cormorán Grande / Phalacrocroax carbo) which flew across the fields heading for the Broad.

I reached the house again and spent some more time with Judy and Mike before hitting the sack after a long day.