Was it still there? A quick look at the RBA website confirmed the bird's presence, we drove in to West Runton disused pig farm at 9.45. 15 parked cars indicated a small crowd of birders, huddled beside the buildings, gazing at a hedge running north towards the sea. This gave them some shelter from the light but persistent rain and cold easterly wind. We joined the overflow, standing on the rain flattened grass alongside.
Bad news, the bird hadn't been seen since 9.00. Keith D and Peter M had been lucky enough to see it as soon as they arrived and were fairly convinced that it had flown west. Oh well...
An hour and a half later, the aforementioned Great Yarmouth Bird Club members - don't know who was first - re-located the female Black-headed Bunting perched low down in the hedge a fair distance away. A Norfolk tick for us and many others.
Keith kindly beckoned us over to look through his scope but it was too high for us.The friendly man next to us let us look through his whilst getting my scope on to it. Brilliant. Thank you, kind man. It was still difficult to see. Distance meant the focusing had to be critical, in addition to the poor, wet and bedraggled, bird's perch, hunched at the back of some bramble. We had good and prolonged scope views before leaving her sitting there.I tried digiscoping, the results are woeful and not printable!
We'd intended going on to bird elsewhere, so turned towards Sheringham. Passing the Maze nursery and cafe, I mooted a welcome hot drink. Diet gone, we enjoyed the best bacon baguette I've ever had. Unsmoked, very lean and thick-cut bacon - lots of it - in a self-baked baguette. Delicious.
News that the Red-backed Shrike had gone and a lack of 'hwyl' re tramping Kelling Heath in wet trousers (I hate the waterproof sort) and coat, meant no more birding to-day.
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