Eight Hours

 Saturday July 2

We started at 8 a.m. and were home by 4 p.m, very tired , but happy. A day of not many species seen. yet with many enjoyable cameos. Valley Farm Lane had an idling Red Kite overhead, a seemingly unaware family of two Red-legged Partridge chicks and their parents on the verge. The small young were huddled underneath the female, watchful male nearby. Suddenly, they all legged it, the adults legs moving so fast that they looked like Sanderlings on speed. 

Abbey Farm's Little Owl put in an appearnce for once  It was very difficult to see, the same colouration as the bark on the base of the fallen Oak tree which is its nesting place.

 


Snettisham was notable for the lack of water and birds in the Wash. Non breeding waders gradually build up in July, not here yet. An Oystercatcher sat tight on her eggs within a few metres of the car in the steep sided entry road after the gate. I could just about manage to fit her in using my long lens on minimum zoom.


The last pit was the accustomed cacophany of noise and movement. Huge numbers of Greylag Geese and Black-headed Gulls the culprits. Sandwich and Common Terns nested amongst the gulls, twenty plus Cormorants and a small flock of Canada Geese patrolled the distant island and shore line. Whilst I was scoping the pit, Pam discovered a pair of Lesser Whitethroats collecting food. A year bird for us. Most of the Warbler arrival and territory-marking song, occurred whilst we were in Scotland. 

Tempted by an ice-cream at the caravan site shop, we took them to the RSPB car park to consume. Mine a Solero as usual - delicious and less than 100 calories, Pam's a Double caramel millionaire's Magnum, calories- awesome. I then spent half an hour trying to photograph a Whitethroat family, newly fledged youngsters plaguing their parents for food. .It hardly seems possible that I never got a clear shot of any.

After some dithering, we decided to brave the track out to Holme NOA and NWT. To our amazement and great joy, the road past the houses has been re-surfaced. NO MORE POTHOLES. Just a normal driving surface with a few speed bumps. The unmade track has also been given a fresh coat and rolled. Few birds, but a smooth ride.

Three Spoonbills and a Great White Egret at Holkham, before our obligatory last visit of the day to Wells North Point Pools. Much of the water has gone, leaving the gulls and Geese to mass in groups. I did find over twenty Black-tailed Godwits and our second year bird, a Little Ringed Plover. I thought that I'd found a Spotted Redshank. The black spotted-plumaged bird had the short beak of a male Ruff - and red legs.

Home to wonder why we'd left ourselves the task of emptying two moth traps. Until we started that is, the enjoyment and anticipation takes over the weariness.

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