Reaching the sanctuary of the car, Arctic blasted and freeze-dried, was such a relief. An outing not possible before Roly and the furthest I've walked for some time. And, only as far as Island Hide. Once past the protective belt of willows, the easterly blowing directly into us was horrendous. Any walking was a penance. The birds were much more sensible than us. The odd Swallow was one of the few flying although the pool was crammed with Black-headed Gulls inside the protected Tern and Wader nesting area ! We did hear and have fleeting views of Bearded Tit (no. 148) before reaching the hide area.
Keeping very low on a distant sand spit, over 150 Sandwich Terns (149) were hunkered down, their far reaching Screeks alerting us to their presence.
Only an afternoon visit after moth-ing at Bayfield. It was a penance. So satisfying though to have achieved this walking mile stone. Tell my knees.........
My first Weasel of the year flowed across the path - do they have legs?
I was hoping for bird number 150 of the year at Holkham. Tilted at a difficult angle in our roadside pull off, I scanned the marsh in front of the Joe Jordan hide for views of the reported Cattle Egrets. I found Great Egrets and a flying Spoonbill but not the target. Another time.
Egyptian Geese already have young, I wonder what happened to the rest of the brood.
Turning inland at Stiffkey we found a Little Owl sitting openly on the roof of a chicken shed, our best views so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment