Anne's Journal

 Sunday September 20 Rising to a lovely blue-sky Autumn morning, we drove to Morston Quay. We felt the need to do some birding but didn't want to drive too far. When we arrived, there were very few cars in the designated car park, we drove to the far end of the boat mooring area. There was some water in the creek; it soon became obvious that the tide was coming in. A lone Redshank feeding avidly, was the only bird to be seen at first.    Carefully scanning the marsh, where a few gulls loitered, Pam found a half dozen Golden Plover. A few distant white blobs caught our eye, enabling a Marsh Harrier to come into focus. A Black-headed Gull, hoped that we might be lunching, eyeing us from the top of one of the weather-worn posts, swaying, feathers well ruffled, in the strong breeze.     Then, a Bar-tailed Godwit came into view, often obscured by the plethora of mooring stakes, steps and platforms. It too, fought the wind as it fed on the rising shoreline. ...

  Monday September 15 My first birding day out, nearly three weeks after the lens replacement in my left eye. Mr Burton pronounced the result 'very good' when I saw him last week. Apart from a small misty area due to macular degeneration, I can indeed see everything much more clearly. Thanks go to my. surgeon. My right eye will be operated on next Tuesday.  It's a shame that the birds didn't turn up for us until we got to Snettisham. When we met Pauline at Fakenham Morrrison's - after buying lunch from Greggs of course - we still hadn't reached double figures. Seeing a group of birders at the top of the slope to the reserve is always encouraging. We discovered later that it had been a high tide 'wader spectacular' morning. The tide was well out by now but near enough to marvel at the number and variety of birds on show, feeding avidly on the receding tideline, or, roosting in huge swathes along the mud. I never tire of this sight. Even if identification ...

  Tuesday September 1 This year seems to have flown by. I haven't been out birding for a while as I had a cataract removal operation on my left eye. I am now able to see much better than before, thank goodness - there are no guarantees. We didn't set off too early as Sam and Adrian arrived before we'd left . They have very recently returned from a holiday on Crete so had a lot to tell us. Both of them are walnut coloured, and found the humid, unrelenting 34C + heat, difficult. It was after a trip to Crete in August that we vowed to only go to the Mediterranean countries at Easter from then onwards. We left them to their garden chores/house cleaning duties - always a pleasure!. There were even fewer birds than usual en route, not in double figures until after Abbey Farm. Seeing Swallows lining up on wires in preparation for migrating, is a pleasure, with a hint of sadness. We saw the occasional House Martin but few in comparison.   Driving up the slope towards Snettisham, ho...

 Monday August 4 All mornings are leisurely starts these days, unless we have a specific timed activity planned. We set out under an overcast  sky, it even rained a little as the car was packed.  Few birds around, it took us until Sculthorpe before we hit double figures.  Glorious mud at Snettisham, but....... my first Turtle Dove of the year flew from the bushes beside us, across the front of the car to the pits below. Pam had seen one a couple of weeks ago. As we reached the parking area, our friendly reserve volunteer strolled across. He kept watch for the warden last time we were here so that we could back down the causeway to view the pit. His choice. It's really good to meet someone who is not officious and understands different needs. He said that the Turtle Doves had only been seen in the singular. Wouldn't they have moved on if a mate hadn't been found? The whole time we were chatting, there was a regular incoming of screeching Common Terns carrying fish. ...

  Monday August 3 Birthday card and present opening came first, which meant a late arrival for Snettisham high tide. The mud was still wet, despite the already hot sunshine, distant groups of waders could occasionally be seen flying along the shore. i did manage to find a Little Tern hovering near the Oystercatchers. Hopes were not high when Pam reversed down the causeway so that I could scope the end reserve pit. Scope views showed that the, apparently rock and pebble strewn islands, were thousands of birds. Looking directly into the sun, I could identify Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin, Redshank, and Knot, from size and beak length etc. What else was amongst them? So frustrating. Even viewing from the Rotary Hide would not help. Shore Hide would be better, but that was beyond our walking capabilities.    I took a few photos, hoping that I could zoom in on the birds  on my P.C.  at home. I managed to add Common Tern, and Bar-tailed Godwit to my list.    ...

 Sunday August 2  Concerned about the effect of the long drought on my small potted alpines, with Pam's help, I planted up the two sinks I prepared last week.  Previously emptied of spent soil and plants, I patched the top edges of both sinks where the hypertufa had been knocked off. It's over 30 years since I first covered them, the first ones I ever did.They've lasted well.     Garrulous Gary, number two gardener, was fascinated. He hadn't realised that there was a Butler sink underneath it all. This is where we are at. Not completed with a top dressing of alpine grit, as I still have some bulbs and a few more plants to add. The new stuff will weather to a better colour match - I hope. The original had peat in the mixture, I used potting compost this time.      

  Monday July 27 It was overcast for much of the day, which suited me fine. Less hot, and less glare. A 'might as well' decision to turn off for Valley Farm, didn't add any birds, but it did give us our first meeting this year with our gamekeeper friend Barry. He and his wife were looking at the pile of parcels in the barn. A new neighbour has got work as a deliverer. He was tickled by the fact that it included a bundle of hay for a rabbit.  He likes a chat.  The old lady at the farmhouse has died and the three tenants of the farm cottages have been given 6 months to leave. Barry fell down the stairs at the end of 2025, breaking ribs and fracturing three vertebra. The doctors told him that he was lucky to be able to walk again. Indeed he is. Still working, up at dawn to deal with the irrigation system. We got away. We haven't seen him for at least a year. Since the Tree Sparrows left, we rarely visit the area. These Egyptian Geese sum up Snettisham.   Apart from Grey...

 July 18 We haven't seen our regular visiting Sparrowhawk for several weeks, that was a young female. Yesterday, a male visited, sitting on top of a feeder post. Pam used my bridge camera to take this photo through the kitchen window.    Although moth-ing at home has been disappointing in both number and species, we do occasionally turn up some goodies. Yesterday we had a Marbled Clover which was new for our garden.   Norfolk status Locally common. A Nationally Scarce species. Resident in Norfolk, mainly in the Brecks and along the north Norfolk coast. It was considered scarce in the county until around 2001, after which records increased noticeably. It continues to be well recorded, though numbers vary considerably from year to year, with totals ranging from around 10 to almost 400 in the best seasons. Occasional records may also represent immigrants.   Norfolk Moths And  a second Fen Dagger. 

 Saturday July 18 My alpine sinks have been neglected over the last few years. They should be re-planted or replenished every  two or three years. The first two sinks I covered in hypertufa have lost much of their top edging - vulnerable to wheelbarrow wheels etc.  I started with the three sinks I made last of all. They just needed emptying and re-planting.   It's very tempting to over fill with plants, these will soon grow to fill the space - or leave room for some bulbs later. The next job will be to make some hypertufa, a mixture of cement, sand and coir dolloped onto a surface covered with PVC glue. Sometime soon.    

 Wednesday July 8 Having a car with efficient aircon made a day out feasible.  With the sun roof and windows closed, and the temperature set to 20C, we were comfortable. With a single stop at Sculthorpe Mill in the vain hope that a Spotted Flycatcher had turned up, and another to check on the non-appearance of the Abbey Farm Little Owl, we arrived at Snettisham an hour before a not very high tide. It was good to see some water within sight, several groups of white birds scattered along the incoming shoreline. Closer inspection through my scope found many terns amongst the mainly Black-headed Gulls. Most of the terns were Common, but there were a few punk-headed Sandwich Terns to give us a year tick. Best were two summer plumaged Spotted Redshank. There were probably more, a group of waders flew just as I got to them. Two Redshank were the only other waders apart from the ubiquitous Oystercatchers.   Mediterranean Gulls are becoming more frequent here too, their jet b...

 Wednesday July 1 Our usual north coast run - with even fewer than usual birds. The first highlight was Selbrigg pond.  The surface was alive with shimmering, darting, very active odonata. As usual too, they were concentrated on the back half of the water. I find this species in flight difficult  enough  to identify. Distance makes it impossible.I still enjoy the spectacle.  The bracken beside the Selbrigg forest gate was also very active. Very small dark butterflies were zooming about, seldom landing. Probably Ringlets. Why bracken? We saw many Large White butterflies on our journey west, the number diminishing as we drove. There had been reports of hundreds coming in off the sea in the Cley area in the last few days. Only two caged off nests on the beach at Snettisham this year. One of them was occupied by a Ringed Plover, still very well camouflaged.   More Shelduck families on the pits. Baby ducks are quite delightful in the fluffy feather stage, most o...

  Monday June 15 Going out on Monday is getting to be a habit. One with reason behind it. It's not the weekend, and holiday crowds do not generally go to birding spots, apart from coastal places with food available.  Not as many en route stops as usual, as Snettisham high tide was soon after seven and we wanted to see some water for a change. That idea didn't work out. Sculthorpe Mill was alive with bird song, such a treat. In five minutes we heard/saw : Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Goldcrest, Collared Dove, Chaffinch, Wren, and Blue Tit. No Spotted Flycatcher again, no Little Owl at Abbey farm and no waders all day. Not a single one - and that includes Lapwing. Driving back towards the entry slope at Snettisham, Pam noticed a Grey Heron at the other side of the pool. She took a few photos before I asked her if she would turn round so that I could do so. The bird was intent on lunch. It struck at lightning speed then flew off into ta...

 Sunday June 7 We did manage to get out on June 1, but the aim was moth traps at Weeting, birding always an intention. Weeting no longer opens as a reserve, the trapping had been arranged by Jane, one of the Titchwell moth-ers who have recently joined the Cley group. We were a few minutes late due to unforeseen traffic delays. The moth-ing looked chaotic. Everyone was milling around the trap with none of the semi organised passing around of egg boxes that we are used to. In the end, Mike, Roger and an unknown man wearing thin black gloves, were very good about making sure that we saw the better moths. We ended up with four lifers, three macros and one micro. Two of he macros were brought in from elsewhere. We'd missed David N's  Eastern Bordered Straw    (through a dirty plastic pot). which he took to Cley on Saturday and the Purple Marbled from the Titchwell group. A splendid Fox Moth   was the other new micro.    I'm out of the habit of taking a came...

 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...

 Saturday May 23 Accepting the theory that the half term, Bank Holiday weekend crowds would be either on their way here, or leaving before the rush, we were proved mainly right. With short stops at Sculthorpe Mill and Abbey Farm, we arrived at Snettisham at almost full tide. That made a change. Not the highest of tides, there were still acres of mud, but enough water for Snettisham Yacht Club dinghies to be out and racing. Toppers, a beginners boat, I believe.   To our delight, a lone adult Spoonbill was fishing in the first reserve pit, near to the pedestrian entrance walkway. The light wasn't ideal, but that's bird photography, one has to accept where the birds choose to be.    There do not appear to be any nests in the roped off bank area this year. Last year  there were at least three Ringed Plover nests with their attendant cameras. A couple of Oystercatchers too.  A long, dark line of birds near the far distant shore was mainly made up of Brent g...