Brecks-it

Monday April 9

Earlier than usual, our spring visit is usually in May when Hobbies are back. An early April visit also means that the Stone Curlew are newly nesting and even more difficult to see. 

On a lovely, warm, spring morning even the A11 was worth driving. Roadside trees softly green with fresh leaves emerging, occasional Primroses - and clumps of blinding yellow, escaped, Oilseed Rape.

Weeting Heath Nature Reserve car park was rather full. Oh dear. We'd forgotten that it's school Easter holidays. A volunteer warden directed us to the East Hide, we've walked to the West Hide for years. I used my new Rollator (Roly) for the first time, delighted to find that my camera and long lens + lenshood fitted easily into the provided bag. I balanced my scope along the seat but will have to revise that. The constant jiggling along a tree rooted and bumpy track made regular re-adjustment necessary. I'm thinking of bungee straps at the moment. Roly is a good zimmer frame with a seat !

Four birders left the hide as we approached, there was plenty of room for us to sit in the middle. As soon as we were settled, a helpful woman gave instructions for viewing. 'Go along the path to the edge of the grass and look along the edge'.Path ? What path. Fairly quickly, I found a flattened area of grass and the first Stone Curlew rising from its nest so that it was visible.

We saw three in total before all the birds vanished into ..........somewhere. Still involved in a year photo record, I took this truly 'record' shot.

Lakenheath RSPB is a favourite site of ours - except that it's not in Norfolk so birds don't count for our County year list. Apart from those seen the other side of the river and we did not go there.

Obtaining a permit from the centre, we drove through the trees as far as is allowed, a 100 metres before a hide on a rise overlooking a reed fringed pool. The extensive open hide was full. We sat on an outside bench, vacated as we arrived, fortunately. We sat in the warm sun for more than an hour, enjoying the bird activity on the water in front of us, the song of Blackcaps and Wrens ringing forth.  
More folder birds.

Tufted Duck - male

Great Crested Grebe

Little Grebe

Coot

Gadwall

Another couple had a short view of a Crane through a distant gap.

A male Marsh Harrier oerformed a pretty desultory mating dance display, presumably his female circled away, unimpressed. Buzzard made lazy circles in the sky and...... sudden animation. A Bittern rose from the reedbed, making a short 8 second flight before dropping out of sight. I snatched up my camera and took two apparently unfocussed shots. When I downloaded them onto my PC, the lack of focus was because I was viewing the bird through a Willow bush. 

Bittern

Dare I even keep this one in my record folder? I know the answer to that.