A successful trip to the Brecks

On Wednesday 23rd March, an early start and I picked John H from Great Yarmouth at 7am and we were the first site by 8.30am, parking up we could here Siskins and a singing Wood Lark and walking down we saw a rasping Brambling, Siskin and a pair of calling Mandarins regularly flying down the river. Around 500 yards down we stopped and immediately saw a fine female Lesser- spotted Woodpecker, my first for at least 23 years! It was on a pale dead trunk and then flew off. Around 20 inutes later the "kek kee kee" call of the male Lesser spotted Woodpecker was seen and it flew in onto some fine branches before flying down to the right hand side of a tree where it excavated a nest hole before eventually flying off. Lovely to see these Starling sized birds with black and white distinctive stripes on its back and the mnale sporting a fine red cap. Over the course of the next hour both birds were seen and the male returning 3X to the same nest hole to excavate it further. A shout went up and a magnificent large female Goshawk flew over and behind us. Meanwhile the pair of Mandarin duck flew first down and then up the stream hearalded by their distinctive call. Walking back a fine Yellowhammer and Cetti's Warbler were heard but not seen. The little rattle of a Lesser Redpoll had us looking by a row of bushes and finally saw it briefly fly behind a bush. Butterflies seen included Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell and 3 Brimstones. With 25 separate Brimstones seen on the drive north. We left to go to the Goshawk site, we saw up to 5 Buzzards here, including a very pale bird plus a Kestrel and we saw a female Goshawk over the distant trees being harassed by a Sparrowhawk and she was later seen flying left low over the trees. Wood Lark was again heard here and one Wood Lark flew onto the field diagonally behind us and seen walking around on the ground. A Pied Wagtail seen in a bush by the road plus up to 4 Hares seen in the fields. A tip off returning to the main road turning right and then first left to LC, by the pig field, we stopped and just in front of the green bin, 2 fine reasonably close Stone Curlews seen, sadly looking directly into sunlight but we enjoyed views of these fine birds with the right hand bird having a brief walkabout before settling down again. Next stop was Lynford Arboretum, where we heard of a roosting Tawny Owl seen in one of ther trees near the end, getting great directions we saw the bird back on near the very top of the tree (15 foot from the top) on the left hand side of the main trunk. Looking in the wood to the left, we heard Firecrest and 2 birds seen near a tall tree plus a Goldcrest. Walking back by the tunnel up to 4 Yellowhammers seen fedding including 3 males (1 male a very smart butter yellow bird and a female), 2 Nuthatch and a Coal Tit. Concluding a fine trip out our most successful Brecks trip to date.