All Fools Day

 Wednesday April 1

 My Downs brother played the same trick on my mother every year.  'Mam mae defaid yn yr ardd'. Mam, there are sheep in the garden. Without fail, she would exclaim to high heaven and rush to the front door. Either she was a very good actress or had a poor memory. The former I think. For the first time ever, I didn't even try today. I can usually fool Pam. I was too busy trying to see birds.

We were out for eight and a half hours - and very tired when we got home. I just had to sit down, Pam had chores to do. We'd lessened the prep for an evening meal by stopping at Thorpe Market chippy, I don't know how they do it, but the food is never greasy.

We did well on the journey west, seeing over thirty birds by the time we got to Abbey Farm. Will we ever see Little Owl there again? The highlight was six Red Kites lifting from trees along the back lane, circling upwards above us. Always silhouettes unfortunately. Snettisham was even more devoid of birds than last time. Neither the reserve pit nor mud had any ducks. A smattering of waders too, Golden plover, Redshank and Curlew. The reserve pit was a Black-headed Gull conurbation, two Mediterranean Gulls amongst them. Our first Cetti's Warbler of the year added to the Goldcrest at Sculthorpe Mill.

Overcast all day, not the best conditions for photography. A lone Little Egret, coming into breeding plumage, fed actively on the far shore of the central pit at Snettisham.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Thornham Harbour, the water a trickle in the creeks, encouraged me to try and catch an actively feeding Avocet, thick shiny mud dripping off its feet. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Surely there would be some waders at Brancaster Staithe?  A large boat was being craned into the water, the area was devoid of birds. Again, no ducks at all nor the usually present Turnstones, Black-tailed Godwit, and Grey Plover. We did find a few Godwits. 

A handsome Herring Gull entertained me whilst I ate my lunch  Moving its beak very little but constantly, making a low burbling noise I haven't heard before.

 

After a long search, we found Gadwall, Shovellers, a few Teal, Wigeon and a surprise female Red-breasted Merganser at North Point Pools. We ended the day on 61 species, with two new year birds. There were Chiffchaffs singing everywhere we stopped, but no hirundine for us, nor the White-tailed Eagle last seen at Blakeney yesterday, heading west. Two eagles were later reported from the Roydon area. The Cley bird was from the Dorset nest set up by two of the Isle of White birds. The last Cley bird was this one's father. The modern information network is a wonder.