Spring-like

 Sunday March 2

Winter Aconites, Daffodils, Snowdrops, and Acacia Tree in full flower in the garden, blue sky and sun, Alexanders appearing in roadside verges, it looks like Spring. It is meteorological spring. Awaking to frosty lawns and a temperature of 1C says that we have a way to go yet. On such a day it is easy to eagerly anticipate the first Wheatears, my Spring harbinger. So many Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps now overwinter that it's increasingly difficult to separate the latter from migrants.

We made our way west, picking up many of the passerines we missed yesterday and at the end of February. Song Thrush is always a treat. It's hard to recall their tameness and sheer numbers on the Isles of Scilly. Even longer ago, a garden bird using our path as an anvil. 

The finch flock at Flitcham is decreasing, we managed one Brambling flitting along the hedgerow. Our garden visitor hasn't been for about a week.Still no Little Owl visible at Abbey Farm nor in West Newton.

The first pit at Snettisham is so full of water that there aren't any edges for the birds to perch. The second pit had a pair of Goldeneye. a few Tufted Duck and the drake Greater Scaup diving repeatedly in amongst them. Yes, low tide again. First impression was of a long line of white birds at the water's edge, over 300 Avocets, the largest gathering I've ever seen.

 

Careful scoping of the deeply creviced mud revealed Turnstone, Dunlin, both Godwits, Grey Plover, Curlew, Oystercatchers, Knot, Teal and Wigeon. Shelduck everywhere.

Hardly believable that we also saw our first Meadow Pipit of the year, usually frequently seen  at Cley. This one was washing in a puddle on the cracked concrete path out of the chalets at Snettisham. A Volvo overtook us, scaring it off before I could take a better photo.

 

Until now, the roads had seemed to be quite empty, very few paople at Snettisham reserve/Norfolk Coastal Path. Then we got near Hunstanton, when the tailbacks began. We could have been waiting at the crossing near the fish and chip shop until dusk if the driver coming the other way hadn't got impatient and forced his way across, managing to avoid mowing down one of the constant stream of pedestrians. The large green below had over a hundred motorbikes parked in neat rows, many people milling about. We drove down to the Yacht Club, not really surprised to see that the walk-way was crowded, as was the area below the cliffs where the public is recommended not to walk. The nesting Fulmars occupying their ledges didn't seem to mind.

A summer day number of Motorhomes were parked along the cliffs and the Lighthouse car park was full of vehicles. We only stayed long enough for a quick scan of the sea, adding nothing to the day list.

Brancaster Staithe is always popular. Pam fancied an icecream - as did I. The van wasn't there, neither was the crab sandwich and shellfish kiosk open, Maybe that explained the lack of people. A pile of mussels had been left in the parking area, a small group of Turnstones vigorously tossing the shells about in search of a morsel. Many of them were first year birds, drab plumage and lack of leg colour giving them away.

 

 

More Spoonbills visible in the Holkham nesting trees than last Wednesday, plus a few Grey Heron. A female Marsh Harrier cruised through, passing over a Buzzard perched on top of a marsh fence post. 

Stiffkey Floods had a lot of wildfowl, with no sign of the Lesser Whitefronts again. One day......

As is becoming usual, North Point Pools, Wells was the last port of call. The pools were full of gulls today, mostly Black-headed with two Greater Black-backs. A few Black-tailed Godwits, Teal, Lapwing, and Wigeon the only other birds. Some weary looking birders were packing up their cars. I think that visitors not in the know, park here to walk to Warham Greens area for the Pallid Harrier. A group recently asked us for directions.

We saw over fifty species with two of them new for the year. Plenty to keep us happy.