At last

Sunday April 2 

At last, a day's birding, unburdened by medical appointments and household happenings. It has been announced that March was the wettest for at least ten years, I can believe that. To-day started cloudy, one small patch of blue visible by the time we got to Dereham, clearing to a blue sky and sun afternoon.

Selbrigg was not a good first port of call, our garden would have been better. No food around, the regular feeders must have given up, we didn't stay long. Sculthorpe Mill race was fast and furious, one Grey Wagtail made a brief appearance for Pam. All the ivy has been removed from the Mill hotel, which now appears in the latest Michelin Guide. The ivy had been used as a nesting place by Spotted Flycatcher in the past.

Just as well that Pam is an excellent reverser, another long back-track along the Abbey Farm back lane, where we'd paused to see Curlew and a pair of distant Grey Partridges.

 


Still no Little Owl in the oak tree, the usual Red Kites idling around above us. After a short detour through West Newton, a very attractive Sandringham estate village, we arrived at Snettisham. Yes, you guessed it. The tide was way out, acres of apparently empty mud. Scoping found a small flock of Golden Plover, a few Grey Plover, Redshank, Curlew, Sanderling, Dunlin, Wigeon and Shelduck. The shoreline waders were too distant to identify. Two Goldeneye still remained on the pits, the usual small flock of Tufted Duck and a very large number of Black-headed Gulls and Greylag. About two dozen Avocets, open winged Cormorants and a few Lapwing.There had been a long queque on the Hunstanton Road when we crossed it after Dersingham, now we joined it. We crawled as far as the lights at the Lavender Farm. No apparent reason for the bottleneck apart from the lights. Only a few cars turned off towards Hunstanton, we soon discovered why. Road closed soon after Tesco, we were diverted inland. Trying to find a way through the back streets to the cliff top, we discovered so many unknown streets, all with parked cars on both sides - and lots of us trying to get through. Nightmare. We were pleased to get back to the bypass, driving on to Brancaster Staithe.

Schools finished for the Easter break on Friday, we expected a crowd at the Staithe. There wasn't. We enjoyed watching the moulting into summer plumage Black-tailed Godwits.

Still scruffy





 

A Black-headed Gull in resplendant summer garb, called his disgust at the encroachment of another.

At this time of year, North Point pools are not a favourite of mine, it's another Black-headed Gull metropolis. Finding four adult Mediterranean Gulls, a loitering Common Gull, plus a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls, was a bonus.

Holkham coastal park added three Spoonbills, about twenty Shovellers, a Grey Heron and our only Marsh Harrier of the day.

Cley and its environs added photos of Mallard and Gadwall to the folder,

 



before the drive home to watch Man U deservedly lose 0-2 to Newcastle. Not a good end to a lovely day.

 

 



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