YES

Sunday November 4

Not raining, out by 7.30 a.m. and Man U and Wales won yesterday. Wales with rather more style than Man U.

The hedgerows were quite busy this morning, we'd added 20 species before reaching Sculthorpe Mill. I missed the Tawny Owls calling from the wood at the bottom of the garden at home as I wasn't wearing my aids. November is the hot month for territorial usurping of the year's young and re-establishing territory. I should hear them again.

We haven't seen the Grey Wagtails at the Mill for a few months, they usually hang around in the winter. Not this year. 

Winter Thrushes, mainly Fieldfare with a few Redwings, are still arriving and moving inland, one Mistle Thrush to-day plus a number of wildly skittering Blackbirds.

Maybe, if we'd consulted the tide timetable, we'd have given Snettisham a miss. Or maybe not ! The water was at its utmost nadir during a high tide period. I had to work hard to find any waders scattered on the miles of mud, Lincolnshire within reach. Again, no Knot flocks, where have they gone. Forty Golden Plovers and a large group of 40+ Pintail were the highlights. The latter showing very few males in proportion to the females, their white markings gleaming brightly in the dull light.

Our time at Thornham, was productive. A large flock of Linnets was accompanied by half a dozen Twite - which conveniently peeled off before landing. Our first Marsh Harriers of the day, a single Spoonbill out on the marsh - we'd missed one at Snettisham. Another birder said that one had flown low over the pits whilst we were scanning for waders. One Grey Plover and a few Curlew and Skylarks.

No Moths on the walls of Titchwell toilets.....rumour hath it that the lights are turned off at night these days. Spoil sports.

Brancaster Staithe, always a favourite, added Ringed Plover. Black-tailed Godwits sewing-machined the mud in the approach creek, retaining some of their summer plumage and quite a few leg ornaments.

A get out of my way squawk

Little Egrets are very photogenic and irresistible to me. I hadn't been able to take any photos to-day due to distance and poor light. It still wasn't good but, the subjects were larger.

Very suddenly the rescue boat in front of me swung sharply, at a right angle, on its anchor chain, until its bows were downstream, before rushing upstream backwards to the limit of its chain. All in a few seconds. The tide had turned. We've never seen such a dramatic inrush here before.The mussell bags and the mud islands were covered in no time. It was tempting to stay and watch, the current was actually visible as a narrow stream in the middle of the creek. We forced ourselves away.

A quick look at Holkham freshmarsh from the Gun Hill layby found a surprise flock of at least 30 Barnacle Geese. Such handsome birds and the first we've seen here.
Another look from the A149 gateway - mainly so that Pam could see her beloved Belted Galloway Cattle. I love them too. A pair of Egyptian Geese and a Grey Heron photo-bombed the scene.

Mid afternoon in fading light. The hoped-for 7 Waxwings at Kelling tea-rooms had been 'flushed', according to the pager, and hadn't returned. No hurry to get there then. Pam suggested Stiffkey Marsh. Unfortunately, many others had had the same idea, we had to shoehorn in at the eastern end of the parking area, views to our left hampered by mainly empty cars.

The first bird I scoped was a female Hen Harrier. Brilliant. She was followed by three Marsh Harriers and a lull. We left so that we could drive home in reasonable light, happy and contented with our day. I'm planning the next one.........

In Addition

A gunmetal grey, obviously military, vessel moored off Stiffkey was reported to be HMS Tyne, a British waters fishery protection vessel. One of two remaining ships. She had been partially decommissioned before Brexit forced a change of plan. Back in action, her latest job was ''escorting'' a Russian frigate through the English Channel.