One Fine Day

 Sunday February 8

We'd have been bang on time picking up Pauline from Fakenham Morrison's if we hadn't stopped for fuel. At Morrison's. Which, to Pam's delight, was a very competitive price. Leaving home in sun and blue sky, by North Walsham we had a bank of fog looming ahead. This lasted most of the journey west, a weak sun orb appearing once. Not as cold though, there were compensations.

It was a very pleasant day without any obvious highlights until near the end. Snettisham was an hour past high tide; that was only 2.2, very low indeed, so it hardly came in. Once more, the birds were very distant, as was the shoreline. It's always a pleasure to see Goldeneye and Little Grebe. The islands on the reserve pit were covered in Lapwing, the far one as always, held flasher Cormorants, wings out to dry.

No Rock Pipits at Thornham, just this Common Gull, still in most of its winter plumage, surveying the scenery.

 

Needing to use the facilities, we called in to Titchwell. Whilst parked, waiting, Pam noticed David and Mike walking by. They seemed to have had a good few hours, which included Ravens at Stiffkey. Pam had seen something interesting in the field beyond the coach park. As we stopped, a Song Thrush started to sing somewhere very near. Pam kept moving the car so that we could search the  shrubs and trees. It reminded me of the time we were parked overlooking Gruinard Island when a Thrush Nightingale sang. Pam did the same manoeuvering, wherever we went, so did the bird. Baffled, until we checked the boot and found my Walkman playing!

This time, I saw the bird fly to a different tree, from which it continued to sing. Lovely, I prefer it to that of the Blackbird, it's less strident.

 

Driving towards Brancaster, Pam saw a couple of men looking across the fields. Barn Owl. Always a delight, especially this

year as there are few of them about, after a poor breeding season. Rather distant, but irresistible.

Original photo, taken with a 500 lens. 

 

 

Edited snd cropped