Birthday Outing

 Monday October 14

A better photo of Hunstanton Clliffs - the sun was shining, showing the redness of one strata. The boulder below are proof of the instability of the cliff.


Despite the early morning rain, the rest of the day was dry and often sunny. This highlights the changing colours of the Autumn countryside. From the lovely Liquid Amba tree in our front garden, the mixed woodland at Bacton and then all the patches of woods we see on our way west. 

The birds reflect the season too. The herring Gull's pristine white head becomes speckled.

Redshanks became a pale reflection of themselves

and Black-tailed Godwits lose the brick-red plumage which would go so well with Autumn leaves.

The large flock of Golden Plover loafing on the Snettisham mud, golden in the sun, obviously lacking the black apron of their breeding plumage. I once found a juvenikle Dotterel amongst such a group in Scotland, much too far away to discern here.

This is not a good photo but does show what birding the Wash at low tide is like!

Pam enjoyed her 87th birthday outing, it hardly seems possible that we are still relatively active. Highlights were watching a Red Kite pluck a carcase on the beach before flying up to join four others and the spectacle of the Plovers rising as one in a golden swirl before re-settling.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 12

Image
 Monday May 6 Most of the morning was occupied getting in touch with the car insurance people and then Autoglass - then waiting for Autoglass to get back to us.  A  stone chipped our windscreen on the way through Skye, since then its become a one foot plus horizontal crack on Pam's side. End result. We take the car to Lewis or Skye or wait until we get home. The garage here 'doesn't have the equipment to deal with the sensor in the front screen'. Ian, Heather's husband, says he does them all the time! Ah well, live with it.  Almost the first bird we saw as we drove north was a lovely male Hen Harrier. It was distant but I had to try, one of these days I'll get a decent photo. Original photo before editing, taken with 500mm lens    Edited     As we drove down to Loch Paible, a flock of fifteen Whimbrel dropped in to the near corner.We needed to turn the car, by which time the birds had gone, this Wheatear posed nicely for me.    A short d...
Read more

Moth Migration

Image
 Wednesday October 9 Like birds, moths migrate when the season and weather conditions are right. Recently, we have had easterly winds with a mouth watering fall of birds which we have been unable to walk and see. Many Yellow-browed Warblers, Eastern Crowned Warbler in Shetland, a possible Amur Stonechat and an Asian Desert Warbler in Norfolk. Our moth traps have had a reasonable sprinkling of the migrant moths - although some could be breeding here by now. Palpita Vitrialis Scarce Bordered Straw Delicate   and Rusty Dot Pearl
Read more

Day 19

Image
  Monday May 13   The day started slowly and ended at a gallop. A morning spent doing chores meant an even later start than usual, well past mid-day. Loch Druidibeg was the intended destination but we missed the turning and ended up at Loch Eynort. Both are in South Uist, but Druidibeg is not signposted on the northern approach. We even found a parking space in the small six car parking area, where we sat looking at a pretty empty sea. Eventually, Red-breasted Merganser, Shags, a Great Northern Diver and an Otter on the sea and Willow Warbler, Chaffinch, Robin, Blackbird, Dunnock, Cuckoo, and a Lesser Redpoll from the small wood alongside. AS we reversed away, Pam noticed the reg plate on the car beside us. It was WOC, Ian and Sue's car. We left them a note and drove on in the rain. We found Druidibeg this time. RSPB Scotland Loch Druidibeg, a community nature reserve formed in partnership with local crofters and the community estate. It is a Special Protection Area and Site...
Read more