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The First on the Fourth

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 Friday April 4 Another lovely day in which to enjoy the Norfolk countryside and its flora and fauna. The warm sunshine days continue - and the cold north westerly had gone missing today too. The warmth has also accelerated the growth on trees and shrubs. The hedge-rows have a distinctive green haze, as do some of the trees. Deciduous trees don't have much of a rest. We thought that frogs had deserted our pond, we haven't had frog spawn for several years, just toad. This year we had a small clump but it didn't stay long attached to the surface weed growth. Disappointing. Chiffchaffs are widespread now, including our patch of gardens. Despite the lengthy wait at the Fakenham roadworks traffic lights, we made it to Snettisham soon after high tide. Not a high tide today, what birds there were present were clustered on the shoreline, too far for accurate identification. The Knot were nearer, far fewer in number, Curlew, Redshank, Grey Plover, Avocets and Shelduck scattered abou...
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Selbrigg, Morston and Coastguards

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 Friday March 28 Another short trip out, this time with the intention of taking some photos of commoner birds. Maybe Selbrigg would be worth another visit. Since the woman who used to feed the birds here regularly no longer does so, it's a bit of a lottery. We always put food out with variable results. It was past mid morning when we arrived - not the optimum time . Pretty quickly the first birds arrived. First a Robin, then a Great Tit, followed by a Nuthatch and a Coal Tit. It was a very short flurry which was soon over.  Morston is always a favourite place. There's something about mud, water, marsh, aged wood and boats which we both find irresistible. Bathed in sunshine today too. The tide was well out, leaving a mere trickle in the creeks - which meant no seal trips and people. Redshank corner (at the far end of the car park),  had at least eight birds bathing and preening. Stopping to view a lovely Greenshank feeding at the water's edge,    Pam saw a Spoonb...
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Round-up

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Thursday March 27 Spring  migrants have been trickling in during this last few days of sun and warmth. We've managed to connect with two species - and I've lucked on a winter remainer. After another poor night's sleep,  we gave the first session of this year's moth-ing at Natural Surroundings, a miss and made a late morning drive to Morston. Our luck was in today. After touring the boat parking area, we settled to watch a large area. We'd seen a few birds in flight ,but not well enough to identify. Seeing a birder stroll around the other side of the boats, we followed. Many pairs of eyes help. A group of four birders, which included Greg and Val, were standing near to where  a small bird in flight had been seen. As we sat there chatting, Pam noticed the female type Black Redstart appear from behind a boat to perch on a rusty axle. It then flew on to a tyre. As Greg was leaning against the car, Pam couldn't move so that I could photograph the bird, apart from thr...
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North Coast

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 Friday March 21 Apart from the weekend, there are not many days available to us for a longer birding session. Since our gardener's operation, Friday is one of them. We drove to Hunstanton, only stopping at Sculthorpe Mill for a quick recce. Chiffchaffs are in voice in many places after the last week's warm weather. Not much else there today. I can't resist the Fulmars sitting on their ledges on Hunstanton Cliffs. No pairs this time. They are such gentle looking, understated birds. I was hoping for one in flight but none did so.    Some of the feral Pigeons here look like their Rock Dove ancestors. Many people now call them Rock Doves -recent scientific research has found that only the birds on North Uist can be claimed as a pure strain. As the birds on Benbecula and South Uist, closely linked by road, have been deemed to be impure, I fail to understand how this has happened. They are as close as Sheringham and Cromer.   We didn't add anything to the year list today,...
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Brendon's Marsh

 Wednesday March 19 No Garganey at Buckenham, maybe we'd be lucky at Hickling. At least two had been reported yesterday - on Brendon's Marsh. The only viewpoint for us is from the track down to Whiteslea Lodge. There is a big enough area to park the car  below the steep slope to the top of the bank, from which there are views across Brendan's Marsh. It looked like Brendan's Lake when I reached the top. A lot of water with shallow reedy islands, plenty of places where these elusive little ducks can sleep and hide. I spent an hour scanning  carefully, backwards and forwards, finding plenty of Shoveller, Teal, Gadwall, one or two Wigeon, Curlew, Redshank, Avocets and Coot. We did hear the musical bugling of Cranes, but none flew for us. Reluctantly, we gave up. Imagine how we felt later when news came through of two Garganey, a Little Ringed Plover, and five Little Gulls had been seen from the 'platform' - a small raised viewing area for two people built when the S...
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Buckenham

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 Monday March 17 We haven't been to Buckenham since early January.  It's ideal for a half day excursion from home, despite it often being rather disappointing due to the lack of birds and the distance of those present from the tracks. It's a large flat expanse across to the chimneys of Cantley Beet Factory, usually hard at work in the background. Today we had men at work too. I'd hardly finished saying, 'there used to be Mistle Thrushes here' ,as we drove along the entrance road, when two birds, well separated, came into view.     The highlight on the way to the Fishermen's car park was a Merlin , perched on a gatepost and then, dropping low and flying away, never to be seen again. Amazingly, Canada Geese were our first of the year, not many, paired off and well apart. A flock of restless Lapwings, reacted to the workmen. Bigger flocks of whistling Wigeon, swam the creeks and grazed the fresh grass. A white blob in front of the beet factory turned out to be...
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Fresh Air

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 Friday March 14 Not a long trip out. After a most enjoyable day yesterday, spent indoors with Pauline for our annual sharing of bird photos, it was good to have some fresh air. We started keeping year folders of birds seen during Covid, as an aim for house and local area bound days. All three of us enjoyed it and have continued to do so. Rather later than usual due to my fall and illness. We started at Cley, Salthouse, Iron Road, Coastguards, and then Glandford, seeing very little. Three Red Kites high against the towering Cumulus was the highlight.  Morston gave a few photo opportunities, despite the very low tide. A muddy Curlew in the creek,  Black-headed Gull in summer plumage on a post  and a Herring Gull just standing, looking.    It's good to see them in fresh summer plumage before the toils of the breeding season.
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