Dydd Gwyl Dewi

Friday March 1  St David's Day

Our best Norfolk Birding day for over a year - at least.

It didn't owe anything to the weather either.The day started at 7.10 in light drizzle, which continued well into the morning. The remaining time of the ten hours out, the cloud was high overcast split by a very occasional and short spell of sun. 

A Barn Owl  hunting low over the field at the T junction with North Walsham road augured well. The drizzle didn't put off the calling Greenfinch, Wren, Dunnock and Blue Tit in the front garden nor the pesky Pheasants which love our garden.We had nine females dotted on the lawn and paths of the front garden when we got home at the end of the day.

The first Brown Hare appeared near Harpley Cottages, a rabbit at the entrance to the Abbey Farm turn-off and a female Muntjac crossed the road near home.We don't count roadkill Badgers and Foxes......Rabbits are rarely seen these days so worth a mention.

Sculthorpe Mill was worthwhile to-day, a pair of Grey Wagtails disported themselves around the plant pots in front of the Mill, on the path outside and on the mill bridge. A Song Thrush sang, Greenfinches blew raspberries, Goldfinches twittered about and a Robin produced its wistful notes. I still hear ''Robin, winter song'' being announced on my first set of bird recording tapes. I can not hear the difference year round.........

I had a longer and steeper walk than I had anticipated at Snettisham. I got ut to open the entrance gate beyond the chalets and another car drew up. I gallantly waved them through which meant that Pam had to drive up onto the reserve in order to allow them through. I didn't have my stick either. The good news is that I made it rhrough the bramble and hawthorn lined path and up the hill to the waiting car, unscathed. Pam met me to hand over my stick as I started the short climb, which helped confidence. Oh dear. The water was so distant that I couldn't see the shore through my scope. I've had a look at the tide timetable for this year to find all the high tides fall early morning and late evening. This must have been a really early one. Instead of masses of shorebirds along the sea edge we had birds scattered all over the deeply ravined and clefted mud, apart from a large flock of Golden Plover huddled in an extensive and thick line part way out. Most Plovers appear to flock in the winter, apart from Grey Plovers which are always found singly and well separated.

The pits were pretty empty of birds.The Goldeneye must have departed north in the recent warm weather as did the Pink-feet in this area. There are still plenty of Brent Geese around. 
The jounce out to Holme was rewarded with two Spoonbills flying west overhead.  Pam saw three birds for the list, Gadwall, Coot and Pochard from the Broadwater Hide. I never caught up !  
My fault for staying in the car. 
Brancaster Staithe was full of water.

Oystercatchers and a few Turnstones hunted through the pile of Mussell shell detritus in the hope of a meal.

A small group of Turnstones roosted on a moored boat.

I enjoyed watching a shellfish man wading out to collect Mussells from his boat, wash them well, riddling the remaining animals to remove the undersized before tipping them into a basket. 

I can't resist photographing Black-tailed Godwit.

My first scan of Holkham Marsh was from the lay-by overlooking Gun Hill, during which I found a few Pink-feet and not much else. The hedge gap, opposite the Wellington Hide and Meals House,  from which the largest proportion of the area can be scoped, was much more productive. Three more Spoonbills, Marsh Harrier, Red Kite, two White-fronted Geese, Ruff, Great White Egret and........ two Bar-headed Geese. The latter not a list padder.

Blanks at Stiffkey and chicken hut 13B, no birds on the posts at Selbrigg, the final list total of 81 species could have been more. That's the story of all lists.