Yet another day in North Norfolk

On Sunday and Monday heavy rain swept across East Anglia with a south easterly wind. A good direction for grounding southern bound migrants. So it proved with pied flycatchers everywhere, occasional wryneck, several tree pipits and redstarts. By Thursday the wind had moved round to a south westerly, not good for grounding migrants but I thought there may still be some knocking around, so off at 5a.m.

I met Gary at Gramborough Hill, Salthouse and almost immediately it was apparent that nothing of note was present. The 45+ pied flycatchers had all moved on in clear, dry skies earlier in the week. A couple of wheatear were in the fields and a fly over green shank was as good as it got.

Off to East Bank, Cley where bearded tits were pinging in the reeds and waders were silhouetted by the rising sun at Arnold's Marsh. A brief sea watch gave up gulls and some sandwich terns. Not the most auspicious start to the day!

A hobby winged its way over the reedbed, but little else. Gary then had to return home for work, so I decided to head for the hides on the reserve. I dallied with the idea of driving all the way round to Winterton dunes but thought too much time would be spent driving so off the the hides on Cley Reserve.
As I approached a peregrine stooped over the scrape, sending everything off, so that when I arrived, just 7 ruff and a distant greenshank remained. A sparrow hawk over Walsey Hills, a hovering kestrel and 2 marsh harriers were all that were about, so back to the car. Still too early for a coffee at the visitors centre, so I reckoned the track down to the dunes at Burnham Overy Staithe would be as good as anywhere.

kestrel at Cley

peregrine high over Cley 

As I approached the layby, a pied flyctacher (male) flew acorss the road and into the hedge. Once parked, I returned the couple of hundred yards, but no sign, but might indicate a good wander. This was not the case, with a flyover whimbrel, calling incessantly, linnets, tits and a few regular warblers in the hawthorn hedges along the track. A scan of the distant dunes showed there were no birders there, so reckoned it would probably be as void of birds as Gramborough! Back to the car and off Titchwell. At this point I had 4 photographs for the whole morning.
I arrived at a busy Titchwell, quick doze in the car, and then a coffee. The reserve had a fairly comprehensive list of birds reported, albeit nothing startling, so I headed along the beach path and into the Island Hide. This was busy and outside, on the mud, 6 little stints showing well. Dunlin, avocets, ruff and a few distant curlew sandpipers, so at last, I got a few photos.

dunlin

little stint

underwing plumage of little stint

Little stint

From the island hide, I headed through the crowds to the beach. It was now bright and lovely just to sit in the dunes and watch the sea go by through the scope. Arctic skua, cormorants, a solitary gannet and sandwich terns were all noted along with a single bobbing common scoter. After 45 minutes, drizzle and, without my camera bag, I headed for the Parrinder Hide as a downpour looked likely. On the saltmarsh, 6 magnificent, summer plumaged grey plovers and a single spotted redshank, that mysteriously disappeared once I had extracted the camera strap for being caught up with the scope strap!
Into the Parrinder Hide and 3 curlew sandpipers not too far away. Ruff, godwits, golden plover, oystercatchers etc all viewed. I spent a good hour in here, just enjoying the view and trying to find something a little different. 2 yellow wagtails landed on the mud, amongst the meadow pipits and linnets. but nothing else, apart from 4 spoonbills were seen other than the usual fare of shelduck, teal, gadwall etc.

curlew sandpiper

yellow wagtail

Few waders that needed sorting

another curlew sandpiper

I eventually headed back to the car as it was now mid afternoon and drove along to Holme. A coffee from Jen in the splendid cafe and off into the firs to see if I could track down the pied flycatcher that had been reported. Nothing doing, which was a pity as I could do with some reasonable photos of this species in the UK. Plenty from Poland a year last April, but a Norfolk one would be good. A check from the hide gave views of both green and common sandpiper, dunlin etc before I was back in the car and off to Choseley drying barns. Here, 2 marsh harriers quartered the stubble fields, one putting up corvids, the other being got at by a single hare! Too far for what could have been interesting photos.
By now, it was time to head to Walsingham and to meet up with Jan and Gary for a pint at the Bull before the drive home and fish and chips at Brandon.
A good day and I was surprised to find the species list extended to 98! More than I had thought. Last was a barn owl on the road towards Walsingham near Wighton.

Distant grey plovers, Titchwell

Goldfinch in Holme Firs

Choseley marsh harrier

small tortoiseshell at Holme

So another good day, thoroughly enjoyed even if the birding was quantity rather than quality once again. Be a while before I return as off to The Camargue on Tuesday for a few days birding and walking. Should be interesting time of the year, with several species targeted for photos: squacco heron, great white egret, spectacled warbler, calandra lark (if present) roller, short toed eagle (if not already migrated) gull billed tern, slender billed gull and possible caspian tern moving through the area. Not too much to ask, is it?