A 'Free' day

 Tuesday October 31

The weather forecast didn't look too bad, I was eager to get out and about looking for birds. We set off in thick mist, yet the sun was beginning to shine through. As we drove inland, the sun did make it in a watery wintery sort of way, exposing the multitude of newly fallen russet leaves which carpeted the roads and footpaths. Unfortunately, their bright autumnal colours soon amass into a soggy mess. The leaf colour change has happened very quickly over the last few days of cold and rain.
As we neared Sculthorpe, the sky darkened and heavy rain set in. We took the link road to the coast and Brancaster Ovary Staithe, via Burnham Market. Still raining hard, we drove in to the staithe to find two large lowloaders with their integral crane hauling two very large boats out of the water. A receding high tide had left a very muddy, rutted, through way, dodging between the trucks. Plenty of parking room once that was negotiated, only one other car there. 

There we sat, in the rain, enjoying the imaginatively named boats and, when the rain eased, scoping the far shore where the birds had escaped from the shore activity. Grey Plover in drab grey winter dress, their plaintive whistle always welcome. Redshanks chasing each other, a lone Knot, two Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Turnstone and Ringed Plover.

The ever present fishing trips boat, in need of a coat of paint, was not moored to the usual jetty but floating free in the main channel, a Little Egret fishing beside it. The fast ebbing tide had the boat looking as though it was trying desperately to escape its moorings. It didn't.

The Egret became very animated, whirling and dipping, pecking repeatedly at the water, all to no avail. An unsuccessful food dance.

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Holkham gateway was in use. The gates were open, vehicles and men dealing with the cattle. The birds had dispersed. We tried a drive down and back along Lady Anne's Drive, avoiding the parking payment - no birds to be seen there either. 

Burnham Norton is an occasional stop. The distant pools were teeming with wildfowl, well worth a scope scan. Newly arrived Wigeon, many of the drakes regaining their custard head stripe, Teal, Greylag and Lapwing made up the majority of the throng. Ready for another scan, for no apparent reason, all the birds took off, disappearing onto the distant marsh. A bank of Reed Mace graced the fence line in front of us, oh for some sun to highlight their colour.

A quick look at Gun Hill - rain again - found a pair of Egyptian Geese and a small flock of Barnacles amongst the equally small flock of Pink-fronted Geese.

Next stop, Wells North Point Pools. The only car there, we were free to park wherever we liked. Pam is good about placing the car so that I can scope from my window. As always, plenty of birds to be seen, most of them gull species, Greylags, Wigeon., Teal, Mallard and Lapwing. Careful scoping revealed a few Ruff and a Lesser Black-backed Gull. 

As we neared home, the roads dried out................