Trip Tuesday

 Tuesday November 16

No, we did not see anything special. Yes, we had lovely weather. We had a cloudless, well laundered blue, winter sky, until we neared Snettisham. The incoming front gave complete cloud cover by mid-day. 

The highlights were: two Grey Partridges at Abbey Farm, they've been very scarce this year, 8 Buzzards, including one sat amongst  the yellow oak leaves shaded bough of the Little Owl tree at Abbey Farm.

 

A distant puzzlement on the mud at Snettisham was a Greenshank.

 

An RSPB warden was on site there. Again parked where we usually do so that we couldn't scan the Yacht Club area from the car. He asked us if we'd seen the Snow Buntings, reported from the Club area late yesterday. He set off in that direction. An hour later, the Bntings were reported as being present. Bother. 

Large skeins of Pink-footed Geese, arrowing noisily against the blue, have been a delight of the day. I love their noise. A flock of about 200 went over our home before we set off. The warden mentioned that there was a very large flock locally, never settling because of the repeat cannons used by farmers - even after they'd dispersed. That, and the current practice of ploughing fields almost immediately after the beet has been harvested, means that there is nowhere for them to feed. How long will they continue to winter here?

Snettisham was notable for the pristine, newly moulted, plumage of the Shelduck, recently returned from their traditional moulting area in the Zuider Zee off north-west Netherlands. Unable to fly during the moult, there is safety in numbers for them.

The lane to Thornham Point was closed off during our previous visit. We saw why. There are now wooden posts along the verges where cars used to pull off. Nearing the small car park at the end, we were pleased to see that it was empty. We could drive to the far end, park on a mound and have an excellent view of the marsh and shore, from Holme in the west to Titchwell in the east. No, we couldn't. Two hefty six inch square posts are concreted in place, so that cars are unable to drive into the area. Why?

It was good for raptors to-day. Another go at photographing one of the Kestrels, this one on a roadside wire with the light in the right direction.

 

At Holkham, I loved watching through my scope, an altercation between two Red Kites and a Marsh Harrier. The Kites had been perched in adjacent trees - until the Harrier came along. A splendid flying display, their foxy red aileron tails flashing brightly as they banked. 

Home to open the moth traps. One Scarce Umber was new for the year.