Weather Respite

 Wednesday December 10

Welcome sunshine prompted a visit to Buckenham Marshes. At first scan, the area looked birdless. We have favoured watching places along the approach path to the fishermen's car park and the bird hide, from which it is possible to scan the vast area without too many dead reeds and brambles getting in the way.

It's a very deceptive place. There were thousands of birds feeding and resting on the rough pasture with occasional water filled dykes.Most of them were nearer to the Cantley Beet Factory than they were to us. The ducks were mainly Wigeon with a good smattering of Teal, several Shovellers, Shelduck and Mallard.

 



Hundreds of Rooks' cawing punctuated the whistling of the Wigeon. At intervals,  very large flock of Lapwing, an equal number of Starlings amongst them, rose restlessly into the air. We did find a few geese, most of them headless behind large clumps of sedge. A few Pinkfeet, one Canada and a flock of Greylag, no sign of any Whitefronts.

At least eight Chinese Water Deer, all looking very plump, were in distant view, one silhouetted on the top of the bank near the factory. A very pleasant way to spend the middle of the day. 

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