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First of the Month

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  Tuesday September 1 This year seems to have flown by. I haven't been out birding for a while as I had a cataract removal operation on my left eye. I am now able to see much better than before, thank goodness - there are no guarantees. We didn't set off too early as Sam and Adrian arrived before we'd left . They have very recently returned from a holiday on Crete so had a lot to tell us. Both of them are walnut coloured, and found the humid, unrelenting 34C + heat, difficult. It was after a trip to Crete in August that we vowed to only go to the Mediterranean countries at Easter from then onwards. We left them to their garden chores/house cleaning duties - always a pleasure!. There were even fewer birds than usual en route, not in double figures until after Abbey Farm. Seeing Swallows lining up on wires in preparation for migrating, is a pleasure, with a hint of sadness. We saw the occasional House Martin but few in comparison.   Driving up the slope towards Snettisham, ho...
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Maybe a Better Day

 Monday August 4 All mornings are leisurely starts these days, unless we have a specific timed activity planned. We set out under an overcast  sky, it even rained a little as the car was packed.  Few birds around, it took us until Sculthorpe before we hit double figures.  Glorious mud at Snettisham, but....... my first Turtle Dove of the year flew from the bushes beside us, across the front of the car to the pits below. Pam had seen one a couple of weeks ago. As we reached the parking area, our friendly reserve volunteer strolled across. He kept watch for the warden last time we were here so that we could back down the causeway to view the pit. His choice. It's really good to meet someone who is not officious and understands different needs. He said that the Turtle Doves had only been seen in the singular. Wouldn't they have moved on if a mate hadn't been found? The whole time we were chatting, there was a regular incoming of screeching Common Terns carrying fish. ...
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  Monday August 3 Birthday card and present opening came first, which meant a late arrival for Snettisham high tide. The mud was still wet, despite the already hot sunshine, distant groups of waders could occasionally be seen flying along the shore. i did manage to find a Little Tern hovering near the Oystercatchers. Hopes were not high when Pam reversed down the causeway so that I could scope the end reserve pit. Scope views showed that the, apparently rock and pebble strewn islands, were thousands of birds. Looking directly into the sun, I could identify Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin, Redshank, and Knot, from size and beak length etc. What else was amongst them? So frustrating. Even viewing from the Rotary Hide would not help. Shore Hide would be better, but that was beyond our walking capabilities.    I took a few photos, hoping that I could zoom in on the birds  on my P.C.  at home. I managed to add Common Tern, and Bar-tailed Godwit to my list.    ...
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Sinking

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 Sunday August 2  Concerned about the effect of the long drought on my small potted alpines, with Pam's help, I planted up the two sinks I prepared last week.  Previously emptied of spent soil and plants, I patched the top edges of both sinks where the hypertufa had been knocked off. It's over 30 years since I first covered them, the first ones I ever did.They've lasted well.     Garrulous Gary, number two gardener, was fascinated. He hadn't realised that there was a Butler sink underneath it all. This is where we are at. Not completed with a top dressing of alpine grit, as I still have some bulbs and a few more plants to add. The new stuff will weather to a better colour match - I hope. The original had peat in the mixture, I used potting compost this time.      
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July Doldrums

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  Monday July 27 It was overcast for much of the day, which suited me fine. Less hot, and less glare. A 'might as well' decision to turn off for Valley Farm, didn't add any birds, but it did give us our first meeting this year with our gamekeeper friend Barry. He and his wife were looking at the pile of parcels in the barn. A new neighbour has got work as a deliverer. He was tickled by the fact that it included a bundle of hay for a rabbit.  He likes a chat.  The old lady at the farmhouse has died and the three tenants of the farm cottages have been given 6 months to leave. Barry fell down the stairs at the end of 2025, breaking ribs and fracturing three vertebra. The doctors told him that he was lucky to be able to walk again. Indeed he is. Still working, up at dawn to deal with the irrigation system. We got away. We haven't seen him for at least a year. Since the Tree Sparrows left, we rarely visit the area. These Egyptian Geese sum up Snettisham.   Apart from Grey...
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Day at Home

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 July 18 We haven't seen our regular visiting Sparrowhawk for several weeks, that was a young female. Yesterday, a male visited, sitting on top of a feeder post. Pam used my bridge camera to take this photo through the kitchen window.    Although moth-ing at home has been disappointing in both number and species, we do occasionally turn up some goodies. Yesterday we had a Marbled Clover which was new for our garden.   Norfolk status Locally common. A Nationally Scarce species. Resident in Norfolk, mainly in the Brecks and along the north Norfolk coast. It was considered scarce in the county until around 2001, after which records increased noticeably. It continues to be well recorded, though numbers vary considerably from year to year, with totals ranging from around 10 to almost 400 in the best seasons. Occasional records may also represent immigrants.   Norfolk Moths And  a second Fen Dagger. 
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Repair and Plant

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 Saturday July 18 My alpine sinks have been neglected over the last few years. They should be re-planted or replenished every  two or three years. The first two sinks I covered in hypertufa have lost much of their top edging - vulnerable to wheelbarrow wheels etc.  I started with the three sinks I made last of all. They just needed emptying and re-planting.   It's very tempting to over fill with plants, these will soon grow to fill the space - or leave room for some bulbs later. The next job will be to make some hypertufa, a mixture of cement, sand and coir dolloped onto a surface covered with PVC glue. Sometime soon.    
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