It's the first of the Month

Saturday November 1

On a day of sunshine and overcast, mainly the former as the day went on, with a very brisk wind, the best bird was the dullest looking. The juvenile Long-tailed Duck was on the second pit at Snettisham, in the bottom corner - exactly where the beautiful adult male spent some time last year. It was extremely active, often disappearing from view. I managed a quick view from the car near the top of the entry track, before we had to move. A very croaky and unwell Sue Bryan was already viewing. Later, we moved so that Pam could see the bird and then, back to the track so that I could try to photograph it. Sue had walked across the causeway with her camera, coming back to tell me that I wouldn't see it from where we were. 

I managed one photo only of a partially obscured bird - for the year folder - Sue's Blog has three good ones.

 


The tide was still very low here, it should have been coming in. The mud was almost bare, even the Shelduck were not in view, apart from a large flock of Golden Plover, gleaming in the sunshine.

 

 
 
I managed a Curlew, Redshank, two Grey Plover ,and some very distant Oystercatchers, before the sand blasting wind drove me to close my window. The drive to Hunstanton was marred by a twenty minute hold-up, roadworks.  

The tide was well in below the Yacht Club, no room for waders. The cliffs had a few feral Doves, two in and on a favoured pipe roosting place.

 


As the leaves fall, berries become much more obvious. One particular tree, contining large bunches of sloe coloured berries had us scratching our heads. My phone app tells me that it's Wild Privet, a new one for us.

Wild privet

Wild privet is a shrub of hedgerows, woodlands and scrub, but is also a popular garden-hedge plant. It has white flowers in summer and matt-black berries in winter that are very poisonous.

Scientific name

Ligustrum vulgare

 

 

I had a very enjoyable day visiting most of our birding stops, species seen were just above 50, low for thr time of year. We did not see Chaffinch, House Sparrow , Great Tit, Greenfinch nor many waders. Such is car birding - but so much better than no birding.

 

 

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