Another super day in Norfolk

Another early start, 6.15am for a Norfolk Day. I arrived at Cley beach for a quick sea watch, but not much of note, apartfrom a large flock of golden plover landing near the Eye Pool.As I drove along the Beach Road I noticed several rock pipits fly over near the sluice, first new bird for 2018 of the trip I arrived at the East Bank and noted the wind chill factor. Not often I am forced to wear gloves but this was one occasion when I was.
Little seen as I wandered towards the marsh: godwits, wigeon, brents, a distant marsh harrier, mute swans and a huge flock of golden plover. From the Richie Richardson hide, a pair of drake pintails were new for the year but the combination of distance and decreasing light quality meant no photos. Rest as usual here: cormorants, shelduck, curlew, redshank, several dunlin cowering behind sedge. I headed back, in need of a hot drink at HQ.
I thought a quick trip to Salthouse beach but by now very bad light and plenty of snow. I set off for the beach but was sidetracked by a large party of brent geese in a field. I stopped and took the footpath adjacent to the field where they were just to check they were all brents. They were! 3 Egyptian geese were closer to the road and the entire Norfolk population of lapwings seemed to be in the air here, too.

Black tailed godwits over Cley reedbed in early morning light

Egyptian geese

Large flock of brent geese

Yep, all brent geese here, I think

Few more arriving

a swarm of golden plover coming into land in the Eye Field, Cley beach car park

Golden plover at the Eye Pool

I then decided not to visit Salthouse beach, where I was a fortnight ago and planned on popping into a few places I didn't visit last time. Off to Stiffkey Marsh/Warham Greens. Parking near the the camp site, I walked a short distance west, scoring with little egrets, linnets and pheasants. Not too much in the vegetation as it was still fairly breezy, so back to the car and off to Wells Woods. I parked by the boating lake, spotting tufted duck here before a walk into the woods. A goldcrest in the conifers and a jay were my total for the 15 minute wander before I decided to check the harbour and buckthorn plants near the Lifeboat station. In the buckthorn: bullfinch, dunnock, song thrush, blackbird and blue tits whilst feeding on the harbour mud, 200+ oystercatchers. A red kite circled over East Hills.
I then popped along to Lady Anne's Derive where I noted pink foots and brents along with wigeon. Here I just spotted from the car and time was getting on and I wanted to check a few more sites. Before arriving at Wells, I spent a little time checking the creeks around the National Trust car park at Morston. Here, a posing, but distant rock pipit.

Rock pipit on a boat.

more brent geese

Looking towards Blakeney Point from Morston Quay

Tufted duck, Wells boating lake

Jay in Wells Woods

Female blackbird feeding successfully on the muddy path at Warham Greens

female bullfinch by the lifeboat station

Flyby Oystercatchers, Wells harbour

Sheltering pied wagtail at the Beach cafe, Wells

Pink foot goose, Holkham

More pink foots

Next stop was the layby just half a mile west of Lady Anne's Drive to check a flock of geese, just greylags and pinkfoots, no hoped for white fronts. So, on to Brancaster Harbour where a fortnight ago I got merlin flying over. At Burnham Norton there was a male merlin on a telegraph pole, that is, until I had it in the camera lens, was just focussing when it flew off!
At the  harbour, usual fare of teal, wigeon, dunlin, redshank etc before a diving "duck" caught my eye some way up the main channel. It emerged on the surface: a red breasted merganser that continued toswim towards where I was in the car. I got out and quietly wandered to the water's edge and waited, hoping it would continue past me. Indeed it did, giving pleasing photo opportunities. Best views I have had for a long time, normally confined to scope views, 50 metres out to sea.

Couple of decent red breasted merganser shots

It had now clouded over, making the light poor again but the breeze had ceased and it appeared to be warmer as I parked at Titchwell. A quick check for the showy woodcock along the Fen Trail failed to realise the bird, but a water rail, skulking in the ditch by the main path was great to watch. So dark in the undergrowth I really had to stretch the camera to get anything worthwhile at all. These were the best which was a shame as this shy bird doesn't often give these sort of photo opportunities.

Red crested pochard were noted on the Fresh marsh, another new for the year species and the Salt marsh was well populated with usual fare in the wader department: ringed plover, grey plover, avocet, black tailed godwit, redshank, along with gulls, teal and little grebes.
On to the beach for a sea watch where Common scoter were recorded in good numbers along with a pair of goldeneye and 3 long tailed duck. It looked like we were in for rain or snow, so after 30 minutes I headed back towards the Visitors' Centre and the car park. A resplendent male brambling popped into an alder near the car park and a quick scan for a reported water pipit failed to come up with the goods. I then shot off for a quick twite search at Thornham, but by now too dark for this, so on to the road back to Burnham Market, South Creake and Fakenham.

drake, 2 duck red crested pochard amongst lapwings

shoveler

redshank

Tough going in this mud for this ringed plover that is missing a middle toe.

strutting curlew on the Salt marsh

The Meet and Greet black headed gull that stations itself at the end of the beach path by the old viewing stand.

Ominous clouds towards Thornham.

A great day again, with a few new for the 2018 species list, along with pleasing views of other birds such as rock pipit, water rail, merlin and red breasted merganser. In total, 85 species.
Species list for North Norfolk 05.02.18. Bold type indicates new bird for the year.

1. Little grebe
2. Little egret
3. Cormorant
4. Grey heron
5. Mute swan
6. Pink footed goose
7. Greylag goose
8. Brent goose
9. Shelduck
10. Egyptian goose
11. mallard
12. Gadwall
13. Pintail
14. Shoveler
15. Wigeon
16. Teal
17. Red crested pochard
18. Tufted duck
19. Common scoter
20. Long tailed duck
21. Goldeneye
22. Red breasted merganser
23. Red kite
24. Marsh harrier
25. Common buzzard
26. Kestrel
27. Merlin
28. Pheasant
29. Water rail
30. Moorhen
31. Coot
32. Oystercatcher
33. Avocet
34. Ringed plover
35. Golden plover
36. Grey plover
37. Lapwing
38. Sanderling
39. Turnstone
40. Dunlin
41. Redshank
42. Black tailed godwit
43. Bar tailed godwit
44. Curlew
45. Ruff
46. Black headed gull
47. Common gull
48. Herring gull
49. Lesser black backed gull
50. Greater black backed gull
51. Woodpigeon
52. Collared dove
53. skylark
54. Rock pipit
55. Meadow pipit
56. Pied wagtail
57. Wren
58. Dunnock
59. Robin
60. Stonechat
61. Song thrush
62. Redwing
63. Fieldfare
64. Mistle thrush
65. Blackbird
66. Cetti's warbler 
67. Goldcrest
68. Great tit
69. Coal tit
70. Blue tit
71. Long tailed tit
72. Magpie
73. Jay
74. Jackdaw
75. Rook
76. Carrion crow
77. Starling
78. House sparrow
79. Chaffinch
80. Brambling
81. Linnet
82. Goldfinch
83. Greenfinch
84. Bullfinch
85. Reed bunting.