The news about a King Eider off Sheringham didn't come through until mid afternoon when I saw a photo on Facebook. Still no messages on my pager at home.
Disgruntled, we drove to Ludham/Thurne Marshes. Scoping the far distant area around the two windmills and the river, I found ten Common Cranes in total. They kept me busy for a while as I was having to peer through several banks of phragmites and dodge a herd of nomadic black cows. I didn't know where they were going and they didn't seem to either. Finally, the Cranes flew a short distance at reed height and the number was confirmed.
Late afternoon, the groups of flying to roost Cormorants started coming over. Small groups whilst we were there but we've seen flights of 50+ .
A couple of Egyptian Geese not yet in full plumage were the only other birds seen.
Thursday November 1
Such a dreadful dark and rainy morning, we didn't even take our bins up to Cley Centre and moth-ing. We'd also forgotten that it was the 1st and paid little attention to the birds outside the window,
Part of the way through coffee and after Pauline arrived, most of the group disappeared to see the King Eider, reported off the sea watching shelter in Sheringham again.
At the end of our pleasurable chat, we drove to Sheringham west car park, parked at the boating pool and walked to a bench. PL gave us the general direction in which the bird had last been seen, I began scoping. The eclipse drake King Eider appeared at 12 o'clock from us, showing very well on a flat calm sea. The many flags marking crab and lobster pots here don't help.
Friday November 2
Would the Cranes be there again? No. But there was a mobile and very flighty flock of 500+ Fieldfare.
Lovely to watch as they decorated the trees before flying on to others, some feeding on the ground, others drinking at puddles in the darkest part of the track. Very wary birds but, we were patient and a few eventually returned for some less than good shots.
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