Happisburgh Parish Bird List

Species in RED have not been seen in Happisburgh by myself but are either British Birds Rarities Committee/County Record Committee accepted records or considered reliable by myself.

Mute Swan

Bewick’s Swan

Whooper Swan

Bean Goose ~ small numbers of the Tundra breeding race rossicus occur as an occasional winter visitor usually in the company of Pink-feet. November 2011 saw a large arrival of 'grey' geese into north and east Norfolk and several Tundra Beans were viewable in fields around the parish, the largest count being 35+ between Cart Gap and Eccles-on-Sea. Other geese involved were Eurasian White-fronts, Greylag and Barnacle Geese. These were all doubtless fully wild birds displaced from across the North Sea.

Tundra Beans with Pink-feet, Eccles-on-Sea ~ 16.11.2011

Photos by Bob Cobbold

Pink-footed Goose ~ Birds marked with numbered plastic collars have been recorded within the parish as follows...

'CGFDB'. Happisburgh 8th November 2000. Ringed as an adult male at Arness, Iceland on 29th July 1999.

'CGICS' ISR 131403. Cart Gap 27th November 2003, 15th December 2006, 18th - 20th January 2008. Happisburgh 17th January 2008. Ringed as an adult female at A-Huna, Iceland on 25th July 2000.

'CGJPF' GBT 139713?. Happisburgh 23rd October 2006. Ringed as an adult male at Balmedie, Aberdeenshire on 26th October 2003.

'CGLCZ' ISR 130949. Happisburgh 28th October 2006. Ringed as an adult male adult male Arness, Iceland on 29th July 2000.

'CGCCI' GBT1361945. Cart Gap 15th December 2006, 19th January 2008. Ringed as an adult at Blackburn, Aberdeenshire on 6th April 2002.

'CGFIY' ISR 129656. Happisburgh 14th January 2008, Cart Gap 16th - 21st January 2008. Ringed as an adult female at Arness, Iceland on 30th July 1999.

'CGCFX' . Cart Gap 19th - 20th January 2008. Ringed as an adult male at Balmedie, Aberdeenshire on 26th October 2003.

'CGLCT' ISR 132013. Eccles-on-Sea 16th November 2011. Ringed as an adult male at Oddkelsalda, Thjorsarver, Arness, Iceland on 27th July 2000.

'CGLNV' GBT1397314. Walcott 28th November 2011. Ringed as an adult at Balmedie, Aberdeenshire on 2nd April 2006. Paired with 'CGLSK'.

'CGLSK' GBT1397343. Walcott 28th November 2011. Ringed as an adult at Balmedie, Aberdeenshire on 2nd April 2006. Paired with 'CGLNV'.

Pink-footed Geese flighting in to feed

on sugar beet tops, Happisburgh ~ 24.12.2011

White-fronted Goose

White-fronted Geese, Cart Gap ~ 23.01.2008

Photo by Bob Cobbold

Greylag Goose

Lesser Snow Goose ~ an adult white morph (of unknown origin) flew SE over the garden within a flock of Pink-footed Geese at 11:15 on 7th October 2007. Not included in total.

Ross’ Goose ~ an adult white morph (of unknown origin) was in fields east of the lighthouse with Pink-footed Geese on at least 16th & 19th January 2008. It or another flew NW over the garden again with Pink-feet at 08:40 on 24th February 2009.

Not included in total.

Ross's Goose with Pink-footed Geese, Cart Gap ~ 19.01.2008

Photo by Bob Cobbold

Canada Goose

Barnacle Goose ~ occasionally encountered, especially during influxes of 'grey' Geese. Such records are likely to be wild Barnacles rather than wanderers from the feral populations in East Anglia.

Barnacle Geese with Pink-footed Geese, Cart Gap ~ 13.01.2008

Photo by Bob Cobbold

Barnacle Goose family party, Eccles ~ 16.11.2011
Photo by Bob Cobbold

Brent Goose

Egyptian Goose ~ rather scarce away from their usual areas of residence. A flock of 7 flying south over the garden early morning on 30th October 2007 was a bit unexpected.

Shelduck

Mandarin ~ one flew south past Walcott on 25th April 2008 (Norfolk Bird Report 2008)

Wigeon

Gadwall

Teal

Mallard

Pintail

Shoveler

Pochard

Tufted Duck

Scaup

Eider

Common Scoter

Velvet Scoter

Goldeneye

Red-breasted Merganser

Goosander

Red-legged Partridge

Grey Partridge

Quail ~ a scarce Summer visitor.

Pheasant

Golden Pheasant ~ a dark-throated male (of highly suspect origin!) is occasionally seen in the village. Not included in total.

Red-throated Diver

Black-throated Diver

Great Northern Diver

White-billed Diver ~ one seen flying past Walcott on 6th November 2007.

Great Crested Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Albatross sp. ~ extremely rare visitors to the Northern Hemisphere. An unidentified Albatross was seen passing offshore 9th November 1986; the record is still in circulation with the British Birds Rarities Committee. Not included in total.

Fulmar

Sooty Shearwater

Manx Shearwater

Balearic Shearwater ~ occasional offshore summer/autumn visitor. There are perhaps less than 3,000 pairs of this endangered Mediterranean species in the world.

Leach’s Petrel ~ occasional offshore autumn visitor during strong onshore winds.

Gannet

Cormorant

Shag ~ as part of an influx into NE Norfolk 23 - including a flock of 19 - and 18 were seen flying north on 30th October and 6th November 2011 respectively. It seems these birds were using the Sea Palling/Waxham reefs as a roost site.

Juvenile Shag with Herring Gulls, Happisburgh ~ 21.10.2011

White Pelican ~ an individual soaring to the south of the village October 2002 was seen at several sites in the east of England and was considered to be an escape. Not included in total.

Little Egret ~ an increasingly regular visitor to the parish.

Grey Heron

Honey Buzzard ~ a very scarce passage migrant.

Black Kite ~ a rare vagrant/migrant. One passed through 27th April 2003.

Red Kite ~ a rare passage visitor. Some birds may be of genuine wild stock, others undoubtedly are derived from reintroduced birds.

Marsh Harrier ~ regularly seen throughout the year.

Male Marsh Harrier photographed at Cley NWT, Norfolk.

Hen Harrier

Sparrowhawk

Common Buzzard

Rough-legged Buzzard ~ a scarce passage/winter visitor.

Osprey ~ a very scarce passage migrant. Individuals often make quite lengthy stopovers at the larger lakes and broads in E Norfolk.

Kestrel

Merlin

Hobby ~ an increasingly common summer visitor.

Red-footed Falcon ~ a rare vagrant. Females seen 14th May 1992 and 19th May 2007

Peregrine ~ a fairly regular winter visitor, occasionally seen in summer.

Water Rail ~ one found dead on our drive 17th November 2008 had either been caught by the cat or had struck overhead cables.

Moorhen

Common Crane ~ despite a healthy population just a few miles to the south and regular birds seen coasting each Spring, I didn't see my first Crane in the parish until 16th November 2011 when an adult flew low SE just south of Cart Gap. It transpired that this bird had earlier been in a field at East Ruston until spooked by a light aircraft. This individual was probably a 'fresh in' European migrant, part of the recent influx of new birds into the UK and will hopefully provide some new blood to the Broadland population.

Oystercatcher

Avocet ~ Three flew west on 4th May 1983. Another was seen 9th November 2010 and three flew north with Shelduck (!) on 6th November 2011.

Stone Curlew ~ a scarce coastal migrant that breeds in the Breckland of south-west Norfolk. One was in the large field south of Upton Way during the afternoon and evening of 16th April 2011. It had been colour ringed, details to follow.

Stone Curlew, Happisburgh ~ 16.04.2011

Ringed Plover ~ passage migrant, winterer in small numbers and an occasional scarce breeder.

Ringed Plover, Bacton ~ 09.08.2008

Photo by Bob Cobbold

Dotterel ~ a scarce passage migrant. The fields in the Happisburgh area have historically been favoured as spring stop off posts by Dotterel.

Golden Plover

Grey Plover

Lapwing

Knot

Sanderling ~ most familiar at Walcott on the beach and seawall.

Sanderling, Bacton ~ 09.08.2008

Photo by Bob Cobbold

Little Stint ~ no doubt regular on passage but rarely seen, they have occasionally turned up in flooded fields.

Curlew Sandpiper ~ one flew in from the sea with 7 Curlew and 2 Bar-tailed Godwits 4th September 2011.

Purple Sandpiper ~ a winter visitor sometimes seen flying past or in small numbers along the seafront at Walcott.

Purple Sandpiper, Walcott ~ 23.12.2009

Photo by Bob Cobbold

Dunlin

Ruff

Buff-breasted Sandpiper ~ a rare vagrant. A juvenile with Ringed Plovers on the lighthouse field September 2007.

Jack Snipe

Snipe

Woodcock

Bar-tailed Godwit ~ a c-ringed bird was recorded on the beach at Happisburgh as follows...

C-rings 'Y7RYYB'. Happisburgh 26th April 2009. Colour-ringed as an adult at Vinkenbaan, Castricum, Netherlands on 5th May 2005. Google Map - http://g.co/maps/xzmp9

Bar-tailed Godwit, Happisburgh ~ 11.09.2011

Whimbrel

Curlew

Redshank

Greenshank

Green Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Turnstone

Grey Phalarope ~ a scarce autumn/winter visitor to the county.

Pomarine Skua

Arctic Skua

Arctic Skua, Happisburgh ~ 10.09.2011

Long-tailed Skua ~ the scarcest of the four Skuas in Norfolk.

Great Skua

Mediterranean Gull ~ most regularly seen at Walcott seafront. Up to 4 have been seen together.

First winter Mediterranean Gull, Happisburgh ~ 11.10.2011

Adult Mediterranean Gull, Walcott ~ 01.12.2007

Laughing Gull ~ a rare vagrant. A 1^st winter bird was first seen at Walcott on 26th December 1991 and remained in the general area until 8th January 1992. It constituted the first record for Norfolk.

Little Gull

Sabine's Gull ~ a scarce autumn passage visitor to Norfolk. A juvenile flew north on 2nd November 2008.

Black-headed Gull ~ ringed birds have been recorded within the parish as follows...

'VOGELTREK ARNHEM HOLLAND 3.656.031'. Walcott on 23rd October 2011 - 6th February 2012. Ringed as a 3y+ at Harlingen, Friesland, NL (53°10'N 5°25'E) on 15th July 2008. Google Map - http://g.co/maps/vjhkw

Dutch ringed Black-headed Gull 'VOGELTREK ARNHEM HOLLAND 3.656.031'

'MOSKVA MA044287'. Walcott on 21st January 2012. Ringed as a pullus at Kandalakshskiy Zapovednik, Murmanskaya Oblast, USSR (66°42'N 33°52'E) on 27th June 2010. Google Map - http://g.co/maps/ab9yb

Common Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

Herring Gull ~ ringed birds have been recorded within the parish as follows...

Yellow c-ring '2N3B' - GF57126. Walcott 24th April 2011, 20th May - 20th October 2011 (5 sightings), 3rd - 6th February 2012. Ringed as a 2nd calendar year bird (hatched 2010) at Blackborough Tip, King's Lynn, Norfolk on 19th March 2011. Google Map - http://g.co/maps/8b4kj

UK ringed Herring Gull 'YELLOW 2N3B' GF57126

Red c-ring 'VAU' - GR36557. Happisburgh 30th September 2011, 13th October 2011. Ringed as a pullus at Havergate Island, Orford, Suffolk on 3rd July 2011. Google Map - http://g.co/maps/64rvg

Glaucous Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Kittiwake

Kittiwakes, Walcott ~ 28.07.2008

Photo by Bob Cobbold

Lesser Crested Tern ~ a very rare vagrant. An adult was off the end of the Beach road 17th July 2005; it was seen at various sites along the north and north-east Norfolk coasts between 16th - 20th July.

Elegant Tern ~ 20th June 2002. An 'orange-billed' Tern present just south of the village was considered by some observers to possess characteristics of this American species and has been submitted to the appropriate records committees as such. The record is still pending. Not included in total.

Sandwich Tern

Roseate Tern ~ a rare summer visitor. Probably the UK's rarest breeding seabird.

Common, Sandwich and Roseate Terns, Walcott ~ 24.07.2008

Photo by Bob Cobbold

Common Tern ~ one on 17th November 2011 was rather late.

Arctic Tern

Little Tern

Black Tern

White-winged Black Tern ~ a rare vagrant. One was seen by Keith Bailey on 3rd September 1980.

Guillemot

Razorbill

Little Auk ~ a late autumn visitor in varying numbers usually in periods of strong northerly winds.

Puffin

Stock Dove

Woodpigeon

Collared Dove

Turtle Dove

Great Spotted Cuckoo ~ a rare vagrant. One at Cart Gap 31st March 1999 was previously seen at Horsey and Waxham.

Cuckoo

Barn Owl

Little Owl

Tawny Owl

Long-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Nightjar ~ one on 25th September 2001. It or another was picked up dead as a road casualty at Bacton three days later (Norfolk Bird Report 2001).

Swift

Pallid Swift ~ a very rare vagrant. One seen 25th October 1999.

Kingfisher ~ one was seen briefly sitting on railings at the paddocks near Laurel Lodge on 11th August and again nearby on 26th September 2008.

Hoopoe ~ a rare spring or autumn vagrant, the most recent was at Holly Farm in October 2005.

Wryneck ~ very rare in spring, less so in autumn but still an uncommon visitor.

Green Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Woodlark

Skylark

Shorelark ~ a scarce passage visitor mostly in autumn/winter, occasionally in spring.

Sand Martin

Swallow

House Martin

Red-rumped Swallow ~ a scarce passage migrant. One was seen on 11th November 1987.

Richard’s Pipit ~ a rare autumn vagrant.

Blyth’s Pipit ~ a very rare vagrant. One in fields by the lighthouse 25th - 28th September 1999 was the 2nd record for Norfolk.

Tree Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Red-throated Pipit ~ a rare passage visitor. An unprecedented 3+ birds were present with 50+ Yellow Wagtails near the lighthouse 14th-18th May 1992. Singing was observed.

Rock Pipit ~ irregular passage migrant and winter visitor to the clifftops. Most records probably refer to the Scandinavian race littoralis.

Yellow Wagtail ~ a passage migrant and probable irregular breeder on farmland. 50+ near the lighthouse mid-May1992 included racial variants known as Grey-headed (Scandinavia) and Blue-headed Wagtail (Central Europe).

Grey Wagtail

Pied Wagtail ~ a common resident, probably breeding, passage migrant and winter visitor. The nominate race alba from mainland Europe, White Wagtail, occurs in small numbers on Spring passage.

Waxwing

Wren

Dunnock

Robin

Nightingale ~ a singing male stopped off in some thorn scrub April 11th 2011.

Black Redstart

Black Redstart, Happisburgh ~ 10.11.2011

Photo by Bob Cobbold

Redstart

Redstart, Happisburgh ~ 30.09.2011

Whinchat

Stonechat ~ irregular passage migrant and occasional winter visitor. One of the Siberian race maura or stejnegeri on 27th-28th October 1991.

Wheatear

Ring Ouzel

Blackbird

Fieldfare

Song Thrush

Redwing

Mistle Thrush

Grasshopper Warbler

Icterine Warbler ~ a very scarce migrant, chiefly in Autumn.

Melodious Warbler ~ an extremely rare bird in the county, one was found in the belt of trees by the cricket pitch 8th November 2011. It later moved into the garden of 'Thatchers' where it was added to the Norfolk list's of many county listers. It remained until 10th November.

Melodious Warbler, Happisburgh ~ 8 - 10.11.2011

Photo by Rob Martin (Punkbirder)

Sedge Warbler

Marsh Warbler ~ one was close to Beach Road 29th September- 6th October 2010.

Reed Warbler

Blackcap

Garden Warbler

Lesser Whitethroat

Whitethroat

Greenish Warbler ~ a rare vagrant. Singles seen 2nd-3rd September 1995, 25th August 2007 and 22nd August 2011.

Pallas’ Warbler ~ a rare autumn vagrant. The late Mary Unsworth trapped and ringed single birds at Cart Gap in the late Autumns of 1974, 1975, 1984 and 1985.

Yellow-browed Warbler ~ a scarce autumn vagrant.

Yellow-browed Warbler, Happisburgh ~ 12-13.11.2011

Videograb by Keith Bailey.

Radde’s Warbler ~ a rare autumn vagrant. Singles near the RNLI station 12th October 1991 and in hedges behind St. Mary’s House 26thSeptember 2001.

Dusky Warbler ~ a rare autumn vagrant. One was trapped and ringed by the late Mary Unsworth at Cart Gap 3rd November 1982. Also recorded in the hedge behind St. Mary’s 7th - 11th November 1987.

Wood Warbler ~ a very scarce Spring and Autumn migrant.

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff, Happisburgh ~ 23.09.2011

Willow Warbler

Goldcrest

Firecrest

Spotted Flycatcher

Red-breasted Flycatcher ~ a scarce autumn vagrant. One or two were trapped and ringed by the late Mary Unsworth who visited Cart Gap each spring and autumn for many years in the 1970's, 1980's and early 1990's.

Pied Flycatcher

Long-tailed Tit

Marsh Tit

Coal Tit

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Treecreeper ~ status unknown. May breed and probably occurs as a winter visitor. Any information on this species in the parish would be most welcome.

Red-backed Shrike ~ a scarce passage migrant, chiefly in autumn.

Great Grey Shrike ~ a scarce passage migrant and winter visitor.

Woodchat Shrike ~ a rare passage migrant, chiefly in Spring. One was seen by local farmer and naturalist Murray Ferguson 19th May 1965.

Jay

Magpie

Jackdaw

Rook

Carrion Crow

Hooded Crow ~ a scarce visitor, mainly on passage.

Raven ~ a very scarce visitor to Norfolk, one was seen soaring to the NW from the garden early afternoon 10th April 2009.

Starling

Rose-coloured Starling ~ a rare visitor. An adult at Grub Street, June 2001.

House Sparrow

Tree Sparrow ~ formerly common, now very scarce. Any information on this species in the parish would be most welcome.

Chaffinch

Brambling

Greenfinch

Goldfinch

Siskin

Linnet

Twite ~ a scarce winter visitor/passage migrant. A flock of 19 which fed along the cliff face just south of the village during December 2011 was exceptional.