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Wednesday September 22 

Would we both be able to? 

After opening the meagre moth traps - there was a Wren in one of them - we drove to Titchwell, on a lovely, sunny first day of Autumn. To-day is the Autumn Equinox. Hardly any leaf colour change as yet, plenty of deep red haws in the hedges. A twenty five minute temporary traffic lights hold up at Little Snoring made us even later.

Would Choseley Barns have any birds ? No. Since the son took over, he has stopped spreading grain in  the yard, and indeed, is reputed to hate birdwatchers. Anyway, no Corn Buntings, let alone any other birds at all.

It wasn't a wasted journey. As we drove down the hill towards the main road, a Hobby scythed across the road at windscreen level, not far in front of the bonnet. My best view ever. I even saw its underparts well as it banked over the hedge.

Oh no. The ''car park full'' notices were displayed at the entrance to the reserve The disabled parking spots are an uncomfortable walking distance away from the Centre. I would like them swapped for the staff car park. For years, we have parked in the fishermen's car park, a well shaded, small and treed space near the centre. There was room for us.

Not only a first Titchwell path outing for my cross country Rollator, but our first visit this year. Making use of all the seats available, we got as far as the one near Island Hide. It was occupied by two sunbathing women whose partners had gone off birding. We perched ourselves on one side of the seat, an older gentleman and his companion set up their folding seats on the other. From here, one has a pretty good, if distant, view of the freshmarsh pool and its islands.

So many birds. Several flocks of Lapwings, an island full of Greylag, another of now drab Golden Plover. The water was strewn with sleeping ducks, all in eclipse plumage. Starlings had made another small island their own. Time to scope. I didn't count them, but there were Ruff scattered about, all feeding avidly, 

 

 

several Redshank, one Greenshank, one Grey Plover. At least five Avocet kept appearing and disappearing.The marsh has many more islands than on previous visits, one of them heaped high with lumpy bare soil. I had read that work to improve the habitat was taking place, the only evidence we saw - apart from this marsh - was two pieces of machinery in constant use between the centre and Patsy's pool. Only the top half was visible, I don't know what they were doing exactly.

Then, a Grey Heron flew in, soon followed by a Great Egret, the latter landing on a, comparatively, close, small, mud island  Can any bird look more lugubrious than those of the heron family?

This photo is an unedited photo of the Great Egret and the freshmarsh as taken, using my 400 mm lens, from my seat. 

 

These are greatly cropped.

 

 

Pam, using my scope, thought that she'd seen one earlier, but couldn't re-locate it. With  a general direction from another birder, we saw a lone Little Stint in front of Parrinder Hide. The Pectoral Sandpiper was not visible from our position.

Tired and happy, we negotiated the coast road traffic through Stiffkey, before turning inland and home.