After the Storm

 Sunday October 5

Hurricane May passed through on Saturday. Today was still very windy indeed, until mid afternoon when it gradually abated. Whilst accepting that most birds prefer to keep low in the wind, we were still disappointed by their paucity. We ended with the measly total of 48 hard worked for month birds. 

That sounds as thiough we had a bad day. On the contrary, it was lovely to be out in the countryside in bright sunshine, a cloudless sky for most of the morning. Sweet Chestnuts are shedding their prickly cases onto the road, Hawthorn is a mass of red berries, Bullaces, Crab Apples and Sloes promise food for birds and animals. Birch trees are the first to lose their leaves, other trees are beginning to turn into the russets of autumn. Horse Chestnuts are amongst the forerunners. Our LiquidAmber is starting to do so too.

Snettisham bank was a roaring, car shaking, sand blasting experience. Couple that with a sea at its nadir.(OK Sue?). We didn't stay long, adding Curlew, Ringed Plover and Shelduck to the day list. No Knot discernible.

On to Hunstanton to eat our lunch, enjoying the antics of the kite surfers and sailboarders from the sheltered  area below the cliffs. It looks like an exhilirating sport, especially for the kiters who were being dragged across the beach as they attempted to launch their boards (carried under their arms )  into the water, kite high overhead. The boarders looked skilled and calm in comparison.

 

 

 

In the sheltered creek at Thornham, we found a Greenshank and a Bar-tailed Godwit to photograph. 

 

 

We did gather rather a lot of mud under the car in doing so, it spattered noisily everywhere as we drove off. Fortunately, there were no pedestrians in the area, unusual on a Sunday.

 As has become usual, North Point Pools at Wells was the last port of call. Full of water, there was no muddy verge for waders today. Just six Avocets, amongst the mass of ducks. The latter were mostly Wigeon and Teal but I found a pair of Gadwall and three Pintail well hidden in the  well spread flock. Our first Pintail of the Autumn, two Males and a female. The number of Pink-footed geese is gradually increasing, Brent Geese are still low in number. Not many raptors flying, three Red Kites, two Buzzards and a Juvenile Marsh Harrier. Where have the Kestrels gone.

Home in time for Pam to see 'our' Sparrowhawk fly  through our bird feeders.. As usual, I missed it.

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