Maximum Temperature , 3C

Thursday March 28

Our first 'free' day this week, birding at last. Leaving the 20+ squabbling, buzzing, hyper active flock of Siskin decimating the sunflower hearts, seeing off the three occasional visitor Bramblings and everything else that dared to invade their feeding stations,  we drove to Sculthorpe. I wanted to give my new Canon Powershot SX50 HS a good try-out. It zooms from a 28mm wide angle to 50x. All in one lens set-up.

First sighting was a Barn Owl, flying in the rough area next to the car park, it has a nest in the abandoned caravan, rejecting the beautiful wooden nestboxes put up around the reserve. The duty volunteer told us that there was a Tawny Owl sitting on three eggs in a box near the forest school area. We couldn't even find the box ! The eerie hissing/ wheezing noise Tawnies make was audible most of the time.

Plenty of birds seen feeding from the Woodland Hide, 20+ Brambling and a few Blackbirds and Chaffinches. A Sparrowhawk glided silently through, a couple of feet above the ground, scattering everything, we left.

I tried the zoom out on a distant Brambling from the seat at Old Git's Corner (yes, I still hate the name).

This stream is reported to have Kingfisher and Water Vole. One day we might see something....

No Goshawk displaying to-day. Ollie's Farm track near Thetford,  is closed this year, usually our best bet of seeing Gos. A Buzzard put in a brief appearance before cold extremities drove us on to the shelter of Whitley Hide.

This rather unattractive wooden sculpture has appeared since our last visit. 

The bottom bird is marginally better than the top one but,  I really don't like it. It's just wrong.....

Time to test the camera on the bird table area. Again, several Brambling, Tits and Finches and half a dozen Reed Buntings. 

Pam took this excellent photo of a Brambling with her Lumix

Distracted by a new to me call, I looked up to see a female Marsh Harrier displaying, swooping up and down and tumbling. So interested in watching that I forgot to photograph ! A few minutes later, the male appeared, doing several fly-pasts before dropping into the reed bed.

I managed a single photograph of the minute Wood Mouse which darted out, apparently legless, took a seed and disappeared back into the reeds. One seamless movement.

 Pam's photo is better 

We heard our first Sculthorpe Nuthatch calling but didn't have a view.

A welcome hot chocolate from the vending machine and a shared decision to avoid Titchwell's unsheltered walkway.

Pam enjoyed photographing a foot dabbling Little Egret and a Spotted Redshank at Morston before I had a go at scenery shots.

Several species of the Gull and Heron family dabble their feet to disturb lurking eats. 

Morston. Brent Geese washing.

Cley Eye Field off Beach Road, had several Curlew which move further and further away as soon as one stops.  The Purple Sandpiper was still frequenting the environs of the flood pool.

The ever present winter Turnstones at Salthouse, lurking whilst awaiting their turn at the scattered food which was  monopolised by Black-headed Gulls whilst we were there.

Home by late tea-time to sit in warmth and comfort.

I have a beautiful - and pretty rare - alpine Iris in bloom in one of my sinks. A scant three inches tall Iris winogradowii. I was only allowed to buy one bulb and they soon sold out.