The First on the Second

 Wednesday, December 2

Good enough when we set off. High cloud cover, good light and dry. Until the Fakenham area. The rest of the day was a miserable mizzle. Cold, and everywhere was shrouded in mist and fine rain. Not good birding weather, yet we had a very enjoyable and productive day.

Not a lot in the Flitcham area, until we took the road out towards Sandringham. A pair of Bullfinches flew out from the hedge, and two Red Kites were perched in two separate trees, either side of the road. Not good for photography, too many branches in the way.

The first chalet park pit at Snettisham had one female Goldeneye, there was another on the second pit in the reserve. No Sanderling on the mud with all the expected waders and ducks, including Pintail. No sign of the dead Sperm Whale out in the Wash, it must have floated away - unless I missed it.

We ate lunch at Brancaster Staithe, largely unpopulated to-day. Two Black-tailed Godwits, a few Dunlin and a winter Herring Gull . The latter always look baleful with that cold grey eye and rapacious beak.

 

Most of the boats are in winter storage.

 

These Teal were doing what the day dictated, asleep, tucked up as tight as they could be in their individual duvets.

 

The best experience of the day came just before  Burnham Norton, where fields on the left had a herd of cattle - and ten Cattle Egrets. We parked roadside, to enjoy the spectacle of these neat little hunched up egrets go about their day. 

 

Following the cattle, picking up any disturbed insects.or, just standing, in that miserable looking heron family way, staring into apparent space. 

  

Reluctantly, we left them for a ride down to Stiffkey.

Conveniently, a Great Egret flew across the marsh at Holkham as soon as we stopped..

Not yet three o'clock when we reached Stiffkey, it seemed like dusk. The raptors thought so too. In the half an hour we stayed, three Marsh Harriers, and one male Hen Harrier dropped in to roost. A Barn Owl on a mission flew rapidly past, from west to east, almost close enough to fill the lens - seen too late though.

A message from Birdline sent us away to Cley Beach Road. The large flock of well stretched out Brent Geese in the Eye Field was best viewed from the middle of the largest puddle roadside.Turning in the car park, Pam parked suitably so that I could scan the flock. Far more undulations in this field than there are apparent to the naked eye.

I found the Pale-bellied first, it does stand out when the birds part enough for it to come into view. Finding the Black Brant took longer. It was at the back, hidden for most of the time. I managed one shot of the bird, and that's not sharp. Not enough depth of field in that light.

 

Stopping in the parking area half way down Beach Road to pack away my scope, a kind birder told us that a male Hen Harrier had been hunting the Blakeney area of the marsh for about an hour. He even climbed onto West bank to check for us. It had gone. Not too disappointed, although they are always a joy, having seen one earlier.