New Eyes

 Sunday September 26

Both eyes now cataract free, I can see better than I have for years. Able to read the newspaper and to watch TV without the help of glasses - my glasses are now useless. In a few weeks time I shall be able to get a new prescription, then I can read the questions on Pointless and work comfortable at my PC. 

After our usual leisurely start, with calls at Sharrington for fruit and Greggs for lunch, we arrived at Brancaster Staithe. Considering that it was a sunny Sunday, the place was very quiet. The usual small queue at the Crab Shed, no-one on the Mound. The tide was well out, we entertained ourselves watching a few people preparing to paddle across to the other shore. The water, although not narrow was barely ankle deep. A few Bar-tailed Godwits flew in to feed avidly on the wet mud. Pam spotted a very distant Curlew and Little Egret, a few Herring Gulls began to gather around us.  Although not regular feeders of bread to birds, I only eat half of the lunchtime bread roll. The gulls dived in. In the middle of them, a juvenile made no attempt to feed itsel, but constantly begged for food from the adults.

 


It went hungry.

A Jackdaw strode in to see if there was anything left . I asked it to move further away, it didn't.

 


Burnham Ovary had two more groups of paddlers. One lot had ankle deep water, the others perturbed by calf high water, but it stopped at that. A Norfolk Ice-cream van provided dessert, before driving on to Holkham gateway. Apart from some unidentifiable geese in front of the Joe Jordan hide (why him), there were no other birds in view. Until the Belted Galloway herd started to appear below some trees, with their three accompanying Cattle Egrets. There could have been more, but only three showed at once.

I spent some time at Wells Pools, scoping the filled with brown ducks water. Almost all were Wigeon, a few Teal and one Shoveller. A rapidly increasing goose noise heralded the arrival of my first Pink-footed Geese of the Autumn.

 


 I enlarged a small section of one photo. My programme would not allow me to lighten it.

 


Home to watch the final overs of the third 50 over cricket match against Sri Lanka, which England won easily. 

 8 Jul 2004 — Joe Jordan was a voluntary warden at Stiffkey Marsh prior to his death a few years back. Born and bred at Stiffkey he was a proper old Norfolk boy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Birds, Picnic, Ice-cream and Friend

Image
 Friday May 29 Birds, Picnic, Ice-cream and Friend = one of our days out. We met up with Pauline at Fakenham Morrisons car park. Not as hot as the previous few days the temperature had risen to 28C, much too hot for us.  Today we had a mostly overcast sky with an occasional sharp shower. The latter never lasted long nor were they frequent.  We had to work hard for our birds today, there's a lot less song as they are nesting, many are sitting on eggs and migration is temporarily halted. Apart from the occasional anomaly, like the Gull-billed Tern which turned (accidental pun) up at Cley in the afternoon. One could have walked to Lincolnshire from Snettisham, the water was so far out that it could not be seen through my scope. Without sun, it was possible to scope the reserve pit from the causeway. Again, a megalopolis of Black-headed Gulls, but much quieter than last time. There were some brown youngsters amongst the sitting birds. Pauline thought she'd seen a tern species...
Read more

Local

Image
 Friday May 1 I had a routine blood test at midday which prevented a whole day's birding. As soon as the test was over, we set off for north Norfolk, staying in the Cley area. Midday on a hot early summer day, is not good for bird activity. We saw very little at first, heard a lot more, but gradually accumulated a reasonable list for the first of the month. I can't remember a wholly cloudless day in Norfolk in the past. That's what we had today, with thr temperature rising to 23C. Where have the North Norfolk Nightingale's gone? Just being on Salthouse heath at the right time was bound to find at least one on territory. We even had one in a Hawthorn at the bottom of our garden one year.  We added two year birds, a male Bullfinch and a Whinchat.  The Whinchat was at the end of Salthouse Beach Road. I managed a couple of poor snatched photos through the gap between the side mirror and the car body before pedestrians frightened it away. One of them was John Furze who warn...
Read more

May Bank Holiday Weekend

 Sunday May 3 Armed with our valid and hard-won, RSPB permit to drive to Snettisham Reserve, we did. It used to be simple. We drove in to the offices at Dersingham, waited a few minutes and were issued with a laminated  annual permit. This changed two years ago. We now have to call in at Titchwell.  Eventually, I was sent an email with a permit attached which I then printed onto A4 size paper. Not easy to display in the car window if there's a breeze - opening a window or door.  First visit to Titchwell this year, the person dealing with this matter was not present. Second visit, a man would not understand Pam's request, then offered her a lifetime or an annual permit. Lifetime? That was new and a good option. Yes to that said Pam. We don't do them any more was the reply. We gave up and left. I wrote an email to the reserve asking for a permit. No reply. A week later, I wrote a second email. Back came a polite letter and the attached permit ready for printing ??? I'l...
Read more