We got up early and set off with Jan driving out along the A47 towards North Norfolk with Cley seeming to be a very long way off. We start our days list off as soon as we leave the house so with me sat behaving myself for half an hour and taking note of what we saw. First bird we saw were Wood pigeons, loads of them all over the place. Next came a Blackbird quickly followed by a Jackdaw. Just after Leicester was saw a Buzzard and then followed by Crows; Pheasant; Magpie. At this point we stopped for tea and toast at a Little Chef about half way there. I then took over the driving with Jan doing the recording and we then saw Rook; Grey Heron; Herring gull; Mallard; Starling; Lapwing; Oystercatcher; Black headed gull; Long tailed tit; Kestrel; House sparrow; Shellduck, not far from the Cley entrance. One thing of note was a pheasant that Jan saw but I didn’t. It was a male in breeding colours but the breast plumage was all of a blond/golden colouring. At the Cley visitors centre we had a look at a Collins guide and I pointed out a Golden pheasant but Jan was sure it wasn’t one of those. I wouldn’t have been happy it had been I suppose.
Not many photos from yesterday but here's a back headed gull and a
Greylag goose. I got more avoctes and a few redshanks but none of them are good enough to post on here.
So we arrived at the beach car park and decided that we would try to walk to the north scrape hide ... what a nightmare ... we should have known better. The shingle was really hard work for both of us. Jan managed to go over on her right angle three times during the return walk ... we will not be doing it again! Mind you, I suppose it did pay off in birding lines. From the car park we saw Bar tailed godwits, Avocet, Red shank and Black headed gull. After the shingle we found a grass path and from there we were able to add skylark, Shore lark (lifer), and Wheatear and one other bird that we couldn’t ID. From the hide we also added Oystercatcher, Greylag goose, Brent goose, Canada goose, Ringed plover, Grey heron, Shoveler, Gadwall, Teal, Greater black-backed gull, Lapwing, Shellduck, Shag, Wood pigeon, Green shank, Pied wagtail, Little egret, Marsh harrier, Mute swan, Rook, Starling and Coot. As we drove from Cley we cut through Wells-Next-the-Sea and picked up a Curlew on a playing filed just inside the town. We didn’t stop because we wanted to get in to Titchwell as soon as we could.
Arriving there we set up the scooters for a ride down to the beach and first bird noted was a Greenfinch in the trees by the car park. At the first feeding station by the shop entrance we added Blue tit, Great tit, Wood pigeon and at the one behind the shop we added Siskin (our first in many years), Collared dove, Chaffinch and Robin. Off we went down the path towards the beach adding Moorhen, Pheasant, Dunnock, Mallard, Wren, Black headed gull, Teal, Blackbird, Shoveler, Coot, Tufted duck, Graylag goose, Gadwall, Avocet, Pintail, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Knott and a Curlew. At the wooden platform thingy there, there was a very help chap who point out what he said was a second year Gannett a raft of circa 2000 Common scoter (another lifer), and around 12 Red breasted Mergansers. Very grateful we were too. For ourselves we found some Dunlin and a single Linnet which Jan didn’t see because she was sat looking out to sea. With that we headed off back to the car. On the way we saw two guys looking very intently at some birds which we had taken to be redshank but the assured us were actually Spotted redshank with a Ruff in close attendance. They then told us about a Jack snipe that could be seen from the Fen Hide so off we went looking for it – and find it was did but on the way we also added another Little egret and a Crow to the list. While we were there I was looking through one window and a Barn owl flew past the other way and I missed it. Damn!!! However, we both saw the Tawny owl that flew across the road in front of us on the way home.
Altogether we had a very good and useful day and we got home to the kids very tired and ready for bed. We did spend some time with them though but when we did get to bed we both slept very well indeed.
I’m sure you saw all the violence and vandalism on the news last night. They interviewed one of these nutters and he claimed they were not going to be slaves any longer and tried to claim that what they were doing was the same as what happening in the Middle East and North Africa. It’s all a lot of crap of course; it’s nothing like that at all. What those yobs were doing was causing trouble for the sake of it. All they really want is to fight the police. I might have had more sympathy or be more willing to listen to them if they didn’t try to hide their faces. If their cause was just they wouldn’t worry about being seen to take action in the face to a harsh government. But there again, what does smashing the doors of a Santander bank have to do with a protest against the government? That’s right, nothing at all.
Here's Bella, settled on my legs for a snooze but some rotten so-n-so wouldn't let her and kept taking photos of her, not that she really minded though.
Some of the roads in North Norfolk are very narrow and windy and if there were not plenty of signs saying you were driving along the A149 you wouldn't actually know you were on an A road at all. Stiffkey is probably one of the tighest villages to drive through ... pretty though.
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