Pyradmids in the Dunes

The undulating dunes at Holme are covered in a mix of of brambles and Marram Grass, in between these are desire paths carved out by generations of families heading to the long flat sandy beach and where these gaps appear wild flowers take their chance to grow and bloom. Today as we made our own beeline for the sea we passed hundreds of flowering spikes of Pyramidal Orchids. The Purple flower spikes colour accentuated by a backdrop of grey green Marram Grass fronds.

Pyramidal Orchids, Holme Dunes

This show of colour is just one of many that we get here in the sand dunes and on the saltmarshes on the north Norfolk coast. Hardy specialist plants like these orchids add their own signature to these tough environments where land and sea, saltwater and freshwater meet.

Once through the dunes we found a picnic site overlooking the sea and framed our view with a base layer of sand and Marram Grass and then the blue of the Wash with the occasional Sandwich Tern flying back towards the colony on Scolt Head Island to our east. Seal heads occasionally appearing glinting in the summer sun. In front of us the meditative sound of the waves rolling on and off the beach and behind us  the songs of Meadow Pipits and Linnets.

From land to sea, Holme dunes

Marsh Harriers Mating at Cley

I like visiting the Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Cley Marshes nature reserve in part because it has become an occasional treat rather than somewhere I would visit at least monthly before children came along and limited my birding time.

The weather forecast yesterday looked pretty good and so we piled the kids into the car and headed east along the A149.

Male Bearded Tit, Cley

After coffee and cake in the Visitor Centre we walked out to the group of three hides in the middle of the reedbed. This was a quintessentially Norfolk scene behind us Cley Windmill and the Church,  in the reeds the pinging of Bearded Tits and the occasional explosive burst of Cetti's Warbler song. Once in the hide the sound of Avocet's "Klooting" calls hit us as we opened the windows.

Avocet's, Cley

A very pale female Marsh Harrier flew in and landed on the grassy bank on the far side of the lagoon and I got the scope on this for the kids to have a look at this "top predator". As we were admiring the bird a male Marsh Harrier flew in and mounted the female for a few seconds and then flew off. this was the first time I have ever seen Marsh Harriers mating and I managed a few hand held digi-scoped pictures with my little Panasonic Lumix hand held to my Kowa scope eyepiece.

Female Marsh Harrier, Cley

Marsh Harrier mating, Cley

Marsh Harrier mating, Cley

Marsh Harrier mating, Cley

Kids and some summer birds

Sunday and we decided to break with our routine of the last few weekends and not go as a family to our beach hut. Instead we drove further east along the coast road than we would normally go, past Wells next the Sea pausing at Morston to allow no 2 son to get over some threatened car sickness and then to Blakeney Harbour to take the boys Crabbing.

Blakeney Harbour crabbing

The Harbour was packed with space for crabbing limited, nonetheless we found a space and having inserted some cheap bacon into our baits bags we threw our crab lines into the water and the boys were soon pulling out crab after crab and dropping them gingerly into their blue buckets which they normally use for making sandcastles.

After an hour of this we cleaned up in the harbour side toilets and had a pub lunch. Then onto Cley Marshes Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve. Here we walked out to Daukes hide in the middle of the marsh along a boardwalk and over a wooden bridge from which the boys spotted some Sticklebacks and then through the reeds to the thatched hides over looking a freshwater marsh. Initially I thought we were in for a tough time as most of the birds were a fair way off. But then a Marsh Harrier appeared and landed on a island enabling the boys [age 4 and 7] to get great scope views. After this a Spoonbill fed along the nearest bit of Marsh edge to the hide, perhaps twenty feet away and then the female Harrier returned and landed even closer to the hide.

Cley Marsh Harrier, digiscoped

The boys enjoyed this and it clearly made a mark as today no 2 son said he wanted a pet bird either a duck or a Spoonbill and if it was a Spoonbill we needn't worry as he'd catch fish for it.

Spoonbill, Cley

Home via Wiveton Hall for a punnet each of Raspberry's and Strawberry's.

Mid January to early February catch up

Been a busy few weeks, so time for a quick catch up.

Sunday 18th January
I took the kids for a walk on Holme Beach, fun for them and it meant that I was able to connect with the flock of c 30 Snow Buntings that have been feeding on the saltmarsh here. Also added Sanderling and Red Breasted Merganser to the year list.

Snow Buntings at Holme

Monday 19th 
A lunchtime walk around Thorpe Marshes Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve in Norwich. Pretty quiet so I counted the ducks, with amongst others 64 Gadwall, 27 Teal [massive under count I expect] 20 Tufted Duck and 1 Pochard and single Snipe.

Teal 

Thursday 22nd
Car Park opposite Hunstanton Tesco
With 2 Waxwings reported feeding in trees around the edge of the car park and drinking in puddles, I paused briefly on the school run to see one of these birds, probably spent less than a minute paused and looking. Had thought I'd be able to come back at leisure but these birds proved elusive and that was to be my lot.

Also added Grey Partridge to the year list today with a small Covey by the side of the A149 bringing up 100 species for the year.

Friday 23rd
A lunchtime walk around Ken Hill Wood was pretty average with a nice mixed flock of Long Tailed, Coal, Blue and Great Tits, plus Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker and Common Buzzard.

Treecreeper

Saturday 24th
A quick hour at Titchwell 
2 - 3 Marsh Harriers, a single Woodcock from Meadow Trail which I'd of gotten a better picture of if I'd not been busy helping an old girl get onto it only for her to hell her son that she couldn't use scopes. Barn Owl was a nice bonus.

Crap picture of Woodcock

Tuesday 27th
My commute between Hunstanton and Norwich today was enlivened by single Barn Owls on the morning and evening and a Little Owl on the morning drive. 

Wednesday 28th
River Yare in Norwich at Thorpe St Andrew
Tipped off by a friend I spent ten minutes looking for and another ten minutes photographing a first winter Mediterranean Gull in amongst the Black Headed Gulls on the riverbank here.

First Winter Med Gull

Friday 30th
Left the office in Norwich a little early and in the twilight I saw at least 2 and maybe 3 Tawny Owls perched by the side of the road.

Saturday 31st
Regents Park London, took the kids to London Zoo and the first birds we heard on arrival and the last on departure were feral Ring Necked Parakeets.

Sunday 8th February 
Titchwell Marsh, lovely couple of hours on a bright winters day with several year ticks including Kingfisher [saw two birds together twice], Water Pipit, Water Rail, Common Scoter and a distant Long Tailed Duck. Also good to see Stonechat and Marsh Harrier and the ducks looked great today. Yellowhammer on the drive home brought the year list to 115.

Black Tailed Godwit

Spotters one of whom never seemed to pause for breath