February 2026

After a delightful lunch out with Carrie, I drove down to a grey and gloomy Lynn Point. It seemed very quiet as I walked along the bank. A Sparrowhawk darted out of one of the bushes and flew across the river. Two Reed Buntings hid in the bushes as I walked down to the Babingley outfall where I could see over 200 Lapwings, two Shelduck and a few distant Brent Geese as two Redshank flew down the river. Three Curlew flew out from the channel as I reached the end of the path, which was quite muddy.

There seemed little point in staying for very long but I did stop on my way home to inspect a ditch where a Green Sandpiper was feeding.

It was another grey, gloomy cold day and quite frankly not a very inspiring day to go out birding. However I had set the alarm which woke me up and now that I was awake, I thought I may as well get on with it and set out for my planned day to go to Sheringham and Cley to add a few year ticks to my year list.

On arrival at Sheringham esplanade I spoke to Steve Newman who said that the Eastern Black Redstart was showing by the small pool just before the boating lake, so I joined two others only to find that the bird was not there. I was told that there was a regular Black Redstart by the children’s playground so I walked down to there to have a very brief view of it before it flew off and promptly disappeared as all the builders arrived to finish the construction of the new flats. Grr.

I walked back to the other birders who were admiring the Eastern Black Redstart under the bushes of one of the gardens by the small pool, but it was playing hide and seek always being the other side of the bush to wherever I stood! Eventually the redstart hopped towards me and I managed a few photographs of it

Steve and I walked down the promenade towards the boat ramp where Steve picked out a lone Purple Sandpiper amongst the Ruddy Turnstones. They ususally appear on the rocks but today it was running around the beach enjoying the splash of the waves.

I drove to Cley and walked to Bishop’s Hide just in time to see a poor view of a Water Pipit. Others leaving and already in the hide, had had better views of it than me. However I did find a Water Rail that suddenly came running out of the reeds but the Jack Snipe and Common Snipe eluded me. Avocet, Teal, Wigeon and Lapwing were in abundance as we watched Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin and a Crow.

I drove down to the beach but the bitterly cold wind meant that I did not stay long and made my way to the cafe where I enjoyed some soup and a cheese scone whilst I warmed up again.

John and I started our day at Sea Palling where after a 500m walk north from the lifeboat station we watched the juvenile Iceland Gull on the beach along with many Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, Dunlins, Turnstones and eight Purple Sandpipers. We had a few minutes to watch it before two people walked along the beach and up to the gulls and frightened them off into the sea, which then made it difficult to observe them with the waves constantly disturbing them.

We drove to Hickling, where we were hoping to see the Black-winged Kite after walking north from the Stubb Mill watch-point to the pumping station, but it was not to be. However we watched a dozen Common Cranes and several Marsh Harriers as a Yellowhammer sat in a tree and watched us.

After some lunch we drove to Buckenham, where we picked out four Tundra Bean Geese and Two White-fronted Geese amongst a Pink-footed Goose flock feasting on a field. As we were nearby RSPB Strumpshaw Fen we popped in and watched an Ottter swimming in front of the visitor centre whilst a Mute Swan and a Grey Heron stood over the Mallard, Teal and Gadwall present. Down at Fen Hide, a few Marsh Harriers were flying into roost into the reedbed.

I don’t usually welcome a grey, cold, miserable, wet day in February as I would much rather be birding somewhere hot and sunny abroad somewhere. However all these trips abroad take a lot of research, planning, emails and money transfers for flights, guides, companies and don’t get me started on visa applications and custom forms. Thank goodness for Google translate on websites that won’t translate when you have pressed the English tab. Then flights have to be booked and car parking/hotel at Heathrow/Gatwick/Stansted/Norwich arranged which all takes time!

I realise that you won’t feel sorry for me but John and I do need time to get it all sorted, so that’s what we did today and made some good progress on organising another trip later in the year. I also managed to print one of my trip reports and get my  bird data entered up to date. All in all a productive day, even if I didn’t get out today.

Having looked at the weather forecast I knew I would have to get out early to make the most of the day before the rain set in once again. I walked the road at West Newton and along the track, where I was accompanied by six Common Buzzards flying over the trees. The light was abysmal for both watching the birds and for photography. A flock of finches took to the air, which sadly went unidentified as black silhouettes flying away as they did not call. The rain started earlier than I expected and after watching a few Goldfinches, I turned tail and walked back to my car.

I drove to Flitcham in the rain and sat in the hide at Abbey Farm where I was just in time to see a Marsh Harrier fly into a hedge and disappear. A pair of Reed Buntings sat forlornly in the bushes as Mallard, Teal and a lone Shelduck enjoyed the water, which has now reappeared after disappearing in front of the hide this summer.

I walked the lane in the rain and watched many Chaffinches over the placed hay bales in the hedge. A Red-legged Partridge was the only other species that I saw bar a few Pheasants and Jackdaws.

Up the lane at Happy Valley there was little to see except a few Blue Tits and a several Hares in various fields.

John and I started our day at Titchwell walking along the West Bank path as John wanted to get to the sea. However we were distracted at the Tidal Pool where a Slavonian Grebe had been lurking for a couple of days. Sadly it never came close, but it was nice to see it. On the sea there were several small groups of Red-breasted Mergansers and a few Common Scoters. A small flock of very distant ducks caused some consternation as birders struggled to get them identified. After a huge amount of patience from Dave (thanks Dave) I eventually managed to locate them and the consensus was that they were the party of Long-tailed Ducks, but I have to admit I have had better views!

After lunch we drove to Thornham Harbour where we watched a few Redshank, Curlew, Reed Bunting, Pink-footed Geese, Mallard, Teal and Wigeon. We continued onto Choseley and worked our way through the huge flock of gulls present in the pig fields. Eventually both John and I found a couple of Mediterranean Gulls coming into spring plumage.

At Flitcham we joined Les in the hide and watched a pair of Marsh Harriers and a Barn Owl before driving to West Newton where a Little Owl was in its usual spot.

John and I had a late start at Lynford Arboretum today. With new car parking charges being implemented in the car park now, there were many cars parked along the road and with all the rain it was a very muddy affair.

We walked down through the arboretum towards the bridge and were disappointed to find that the feeders in the tunnel had fallen into disrepair, the drinking pool full of rotted leaves and no food put out for the birds, meaning that there were only a couple of Blue Tits to watch. We carried on down towards the bridge where we watched a few Crossbills sitting up high on the trees by the bridge and further down. The paddocks were very quiet with only a couple of Chaffinches on view now and again. We completed the circuit of the paddocks with only two Redwings and a Mistle Thrush to look at on the trees in the middle of the paddock, despite others around us claiming that they were Hawfinches! I was shocked at how few birds we saw on our circuit, despite the fact that there was no rain today and very little breeze. On the bridge we watched Blue Tits, Great Tits and a Marsh Tit dashing down for some food someone had put out on the coping stones on the bridge.

We drove to Santon Dowham where we parked before the railway crossing as the Forestry Commission is also charging for the car park now and won’t accept cash in the machine. You are asked to download an app which is fantastic when there is no signal here for your phone! On the bridge we watched a few Siskin in the trees and a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers. We walked down the riverside and saw a few more Siskins before turning towards the railwayline and going under the bridge. Plan A had been to see a few Woodlark here but we knew we were doomed as a couple of dog walkers had arrived before us and let their hound off its lead, and as usual had no close control over it. It’s so maddening! We weren’t the only birders that were angry!

We drove back to Lynford Arboretum, where we enjoyed some drinks and some delicious cakes at the new improved Shepherd’ s Hut and indoor seating facility, which has been very tastefully done. Once again we walked down to the paddocks where after a short wait, we managed to see two female Hawfinches at the top of one of the Douglas Fir Trees. We walked up to the bridge where a female Mallard sat and asked for its photograph to be taken. So I did!

It was yet another grey day as I hung my washing out this morning, which I suspect will be brought back in just as wet, so with lots of chores to do and a dinner to prepare for a friend tonight, I only had time for a short walk this morning as I also wanted to get some tidying up done in the garden after the storms had left many small twigs all over the place whist I had been away in The Dominican Republic.

I started in my usual place at West Newton where a Green Sandpiper was feeding around one of the puddles in the field. A Kestrel was sitting quietly by the old Flax Mill as a Common Buzzard and a Red Kite flew over.  I walked by the big field which had some Long-horn cows in, when two Mistle Thrushes took off and disappeared through the trees. A lone Siskin sat in a tree by the pool as I admired a few Moorhen, Greylag Geese and Mallard on the pool. By the other track two Bullfinches flew in and sat at the top of one of the trees. There was little of note further up the lane so I turned around and had two Crossbills fly over calling as they went. Some Long-tailed Tits, a Robin and some Blue Tits added themselves to the day list as I walked back to my car.

After a small dinner party last night, I had decided to have a lie-in this morning. It was just as well as once again, it was a grey and gloomy day, but this time it was raining as well. I looked at the radar forecast and it seemed that it would be raining for most of the day. As I had some preparation work to do ready for my next trip abroad in a few weeks I thought I may as well get on with it and at least get a checklist printed out in readiness with my target birds highlighted. There would be some overlap to places that I have been before but most of the itinerary would be new ground for me.

My computer work took me longer than I anticipated, as there must have been some sort of Microsoft? update that has wrecked some of my shortcuts which needed reinstalling on both my machines. Grrr…. However after a phonecall from my daughter, I looked outside and there was a brief respite in the rain, so I grabbed my camera and took a few photos of some of my garden birds before the rain set in again! Grrr!

I joined the rest of the RSPB Snettisham volunteers at Les and Anne’s this morning for our quarterly meeting. It was a very convivial affair where we sorted out the on-coming season and high-lighted some issues that we had and how as a team we can try and get the best outcome with the resorces that we have. I am full of praise for the many hours that my fellow volunteers put in for the benefit of others, often at very unsocial hours and in inclement weather.

It was still raining as I drove back home in the early afternoon, where my feeder was very busy with Blue Tits and Goldfinches. Woodpigeons were peering down from the Silver Birch tree in my garden and Black-headed Gulls were staring down from my neighbours rooftop in distain at the weather as much as I was. A Red Kite was circling around overhead but the light was very grim for my camera!

I met up with friends at Sculthorpe Moor this morning. I have never seen it so busy. The car park was packed as were several of the smaller hides. I guess most people, like me, were taking advantage of the one day that the sun has deigned to show in this miserable winter. The reserve now has much more access than it used to have years ago with many more hides and more board walk.

I wandered around the woodland which was largely very quiet, except for Blue Tits, Great Tits and a few Long-tailed Tits. However the Snowdrops were beautiful in the woods. I popped into the woodland hides but they were packed and so didn’t stay long only adding a Marsh Tit, Chaffinch and a Coal Tit to my list. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over my head and did some drumming on a nearby tree as I left the hide. At the wetland hide a Great White Egret emerged from the reeds as Greylag Geese, Mallards, Teal and Gadwall enjoyed the water whilst Buzzards flew overhead. I walked down to the River Wensum and the hides overlooking the scrape, where there was nothing on show, but I stopped on the way back to watch a few Siskins in the Alder trees.

It was a lovely day as I joined my daughter and granddaughers at Stanwick Lakes for some half-term fun. We donned our wellies as there were lots of deep puddles and over-topping of the river on the paths as we attempted to walk around one of the lakes. We watched Coot, Tufted Ducks and Cormorants before heading for the playground and cafe for lunch.

After lunch we played poohsticks on the bridge. I’m not sure who won as some of us dropped our sticks before the count of 1,2,3, go was completed!

At last we saw some sun today but it belied the freezing cold northerly wind blowing. After seeing some of the reports from the Snettisham voluteers on the RSPB reserve early this morning about how cold they were, I changed my mind and took a short walk at Sandringham. Woodpigeons were sitting around in the trees as Common Buzzard and a Red Kite flew over. There seemed to be little calling but stopped to take a few photos of a pair of Nuthatches that were calling from the trees above me. I added Great Tit, Blackbird and Robin to my list but to be honest I was more intrigued with a Grey Squirrel that was collecting leaves, gathering them up in its mouth and then running up the tree to line its drey.

I started my day with some sad news, that some of my older long-standing birding friends will know, that Trevor Donaldson passed away yesterday in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after a long spell of ill health. Trevor was one of the first people to welcome me to Norfolk when I first arrived many years ago who introduced me to the Norfolk birding scene and attended the West Norfolk RSPB group. R.I.P. Trevor.

It was another grey and gloomy day as John and I drove to Buckenham where there were many Wigeon, Teal and Lapwing on the marsh. We watched two Common Cranes in the distance fly over along with a Great White Egret. We met up with Steve Smith who had seen a Spoonbill earlier which had flown over to the railway line side of the marsh, which after examing all the large white blobs of egrets and swans we manged to pick out. It was too cold to get out of the car so we drove to Strumpshaw Fen RSPB.

At Strumpshaw we watched Mallard, Coot, Moorhen and a Marsh Harrier before driving to some fields not far from John’s home where we watched a Red Kite roost. Two Ravens interacted with a couple of Buzzards and more Red Kites as they came into roost.

After taking my car for its annual MOT and service John and I joined many fellow birders at Wendling Beck Project near Gressinghall. It was good to see many friends who were standing in the rain. I tucked underneath Dave’s umbrella (thanks Dave) as the Red-flanked Bluetail showed off and on as it flitted about, only posing now and again. It was good to see Phil and Chris as we talked about various trips and Lee as we reminisced about bygone days and the trips that we had enjoyed together. They were such fun.

From here Chris, John and I drove to Holkham where we were hoping to see the reported Snow Goose. We had a wild goose chase as the Barnacle Goose flock kept taking to the air flying around Holkham Freshmarsh in different places and Holkham Park. Eventually Phil, John, Simeon, James and I located the flock in Holkham Park where the reported Snow Goose (Blue morph) and two apparently small Canada Geese were feeding amongst the Barnacle Geese. The information services claimed it was a hybrid Ross’s Goose x Barnacle Goose but the goose in question with a blue ring was larger than the Barnacle Geese! Opinions differed as we walked to the lake and saw two sleeping female Goosanders on the bank and many Pochards on the lake with a few Shelduck.

Back at John’s we awaited a phone call from Jo to sort out another foreign trip for next year, who had some very good suggestions for us as it will be a bit of a mix of birding and cultural tourist holiday.

I picked my car up from the garage and needed to raid the bank of England to pay the bill for an MOT, basic service and one new tyre after hitting a pothole very badly the other night which had obviously damaged the tyre.

Our evening was spent at the Wensum Valley bird club meeting listening to a talk on raptors from around the world given by Steve Cale. It was an excellent talk and very informative. I always enjoy Steve’s talk as he has lovely photos and I always learn something.

I was horrified as I arrived at Snettisham Coastal Park this morning as another large land owner has prevented a lot of access to one of the premier birding sites in Norfolk. New fences have been erected stopping birders from being able to walk around the bushes in the coastal park. This has been one of the favourite areas in spring for birders to search for spring migrants. Some bushes have been sawn down, which now have no chance of regenerating. Over the years many of our wild areas have been fenced giving people fewer and fewer places where they can wander without restriction or have imposed car parking charges . This same land owner put up fences a few years ago preventing access to the woods where many of us used to watch Silver-washed Fritillaries. I feel sorry for the younger generation who will prevented from accessing nature unless they have a big bank balance.

Luckily the sea bank is a public footpath and I walked along this and enjoyed the views. The area of fields was always wet in the winter and attracts wildfowl. Today was no exception as I admired flocks of Greylag Geese with a few White-fronted Geese amongst them. Canada Geese were on the water as Pink-footed Geese flew over and landed. There were huge numbers of Teal present tinkling away. Marsh Harriers quartered the ground often putting up large flocks of Lapwing. Common Buzzards were enjoying the breeze over the woods and could be seen displaying.

Further up the bank I could see a Barn Owl flying towards me but it never came close. Two Cetti’s Warblers called from the bushes by the reedbed but as usual I never saw them. A Pintail swam on one of the pools as I watched a few Gadwall. A small flock of Golden Plovers flew over me as a helicopter flew all the way around me. Goodness knows why? It flew back towards Wolferton and a bit later came for another look!

I walked back to the car and watched a few Blackbirds emerging from under hedge.

John and I were up early and at long last enjoyed some sun as we walked to the lake at Holkham Park. On the way we watched an Egyptian Goose sitting in a tree as was a pair of Red Kites. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming as a Great Tit was singing. On the lake we watched many Pochard, Tufted Duck, Greylag Geese as well a two Great Crested Grebes and two Little Grebes. Two female Goosanders were sitting on the bank as we searched for the Ferruginous Duck that was reported yesterday. After an hour and a half we were joined by many familar competent birders, who like us could not find the Ferruginous Duck despite walking the length of the lake.

It was lovely to see Steve Wilson who is having a big year this year. Best of luck with that Steve! Eventually the time on our car was up and John and I started to walk back to the car, only to see on the local WhatsApp group that someone had claimed the Ferruginous Duck down at the south end of the lake by the island. Along with all the other birders we hurried back to the southern end of the lake, only to be shown a Tufted Duck with white undertail coverts! Sadly the claim was not retracted by the birder as a mistake and many birders had a wasted journey.

We admired the Barnacle Goose flock which was still present and watched all the Oystercatchers on the cricket pitch in front of the hall.

Luckily no-one had ticketed our car so we stayed to have an early lunch before driving to North Point Pools at Wells which were covered in Wigeon as Starlings and Lapwings made some wonderful shapes in the air as they took flight.

We motored on to Stiffkey and watched some Red Kites before heading for home on a lovely sunny day.

After completing a few chores I went for a walk along my usual track at West Newton now that it has dried out a little bit. However because of farming operations there are deep tyre ruts and lingering puddles so I had to pick my way very carefully along it. Skylarks were singing as I walked along in the stiff breeze. Red Kites and Common Buzzards were enjoying swirling around each other in a playful manner. I could hear a Woodlark singing but it took me a while to locate it, as I wasn’t too sure where the sound was coming from. I eventually tracked it down singing over a bare field further along the track. A pair of Reed Buntings sat on one of the trees for a short while as I took a photograph.

I scanned over the woods at Sandringham where Marsh Harriers, Red Kites and Common Buzzards as well as a pair of Goshawks were displaying. A lone Kestrel was hovering before diving down to the ground. Another Goshawk appeared flying straight over the tree tops before diappearing.  There were many Woodpigeons around as wells as Jackdaws all enjoying the wind. I walked down to the pool, flushing some Pheasants and a Red-legged Partridge before watching the pair of resident mute Swans and a couple of Mallard swimming on the water. A pair of Wrens sang noisily from the bushes as I turned around continuing my walk along the River Babingley.

I continued to watch many raptors as well as some Lapwings in the field. A Grey Heron and a Nuthatch called but I did not see either of them. As I returned to the car a Grey Heron alighted from the field and I heard a Bulfinch in the hedge but did not see it.

John and I had a good evening at the Great Yarmouth monthly bird club meeting as John was giving the talk about our trip to Botswana which he will repeat at the NarVOS meeting in Swaffham on Wednesday. It was a fabulous trip with wonderful memories of our time there.

John and I had a lovely day out with our friends Patrick and Claire in Suffolk today, including a wonderful pub lunch. For once it was sunny and quite warm for the time of year and when we arrived at the Sparrow’s Nest Gardens in Lowestoft we didn’t even need coats! We wandered around the tennis courts and the cafe area of Sparrow’s Nest Gardens watching Blue Tit, Great Tit, Wren and Robins. It was a lovely morning to meet up with some other birders that I haven’t seen for some time as we all searched for the Hume’s Warbler that had been seen only a few minutes before we arrived.

After a few hours of searching without any luck ,we left only to be phoned a few minutes later in the car by Dave to say that the Hume’s Warbler had just been located in the tree which we had all searched many times. Patrick turned the car around and after jumping out back in the Sparrow’s Nest Gardens we all saw the bird flitting around high up in the Holm Oak. It was difficult to keep up with it as it was been chased around by the Blue Tits present. It flew across a gap into another tree and then over our heads and into a hedge and a bare tree where I managed a few quick snatched shots of it.

We motored on to Walberswick where after a lovely pub lunch, we walked the sea bank at Walberswick and watched Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Teal, Grey Heron, Marsh Harrier and Reed Buntings before we got cold and walked back to the car and drove back to Patrick’s and Clare’s to admire theit latest bird artwork. It was a lovely day out enjoyed by all of us.

Very sadly my planned day did not happen as one of the party was taken ill and had to cancel our day together.

I have been asked to do another talk, this time on my recent trip to Chile. All my talks take quite a while to prepare so as I was tired from the last few days excursions, I decided to have a lie in this morning and stay at home and spend some time preparing the talk. As I looked at my photos it brought back some lovely memories as I was assembling which photos to show and put them in a folder. They are then numbered and labelled so that they can go into a powerpoint presentaion in the correct order with the labelling as I wanted them. By the end of the afternoon I had made my choices and got all the labels assembled and into a presentation. Now I need another day to put some information on the presenter view!

John was giving the talk to the NarVOS group meeting this evening, about our trip to Botwana, which was well received. As usual several of us trooped across to the pub afterwards for some banter and to listen to Sandra and Graham’s experiences on their recent trip to see Tigers in India.

John and I started at Horsey this morning, where we walked along the beach underneath the concrete sea defences, to keep as far as we could away from all the Grey Seals, that were loafing around on the beach. After a battle with a couple of car parking ticket machines, we finally got a ticket out of one of them and started walking north from groyne 28. We checked all the gulls present, which were mostly young Herring Gulls. By groyne 22 we could not find the reported Glaucous Gull that had been present over the last few days. We walked back to groyne 26 but there was still no Glaucous Gull present. It had mainly been reported from groyne 24/25 so placed ourselves around here, sat on the steps and ate our snacks and cups of tea and coffee watching a gull sp which initially, from a distance, we got a bit excited about until we saw its bill when we got a bit closer.

After a few hours we walked back to groyne 26 but there was sill no sign of the Glaucous Gull. Our time on the car was running out. We decided to give it one more chance and walked north again, when I spotted seven gulls flying in off the sea and alerted John to them. Luckily one of them was the Glaucous Gull and we raced back up the beach to get a few photographs of it before it flew off back up further north, as we raced southwards back to the car.

We drove to North Denes in Great Yarmouth where we watched a Stonechat, before driving to Ludham Airfield where 41 Whooper Swans were still present. At Halvergate we watched six Grey Herons all standing together and a Little Egret in one of the ditches.

It was another grey and wet day as I opened the curtains this morning but I was delighted to hear Siskins in my Silver Birch Tree as I stepped out onto my driveway. I tried to take some photos of the them, but the light was dreadful and I gave up. I stepped back into my house to see another two Siskins on my feeder. Although I have seen Siskin this year, they are the first of the season in my garden. (They usually peak between February and April).

I looked at the radar forecast and it seemed that the weather was going to improve a bit and after Pat Finch had seen 30+ Corn Buntings down at Lynn Point yesterday evening, I decided to go and have a look to see if I could find them.  As I was nearing Lynn Point I began to question my sanity as the rain got heavier and the visibility was not good. I parked up and after speaking to Michael, who is often parked up here and had seen a Red Kite, I walked to the outfall of the River Babingley. I watched a couple of Reed Buntings, three Yellowhammers, 100+ Lapwing, two Oystercatchers, a Greylag Goose and a Little Egret. The tide was on its way in, but still had hours to go before high tide. I scanned the mud with my scope, but there were no visible waders, however I could not see that far due to the poor visibility.

I decided to walk back to the car and was nearly back to it, when I flushed a Short-eared Owl out from the grass. It had not been there on my walk down. Sadly because of the rain I had not taken my camera with me. Typical! One of the few times that I didn’t have my camera with me, I have a Short-eared Owl in close proximity! Grrr! I watched where it landed in the marsh and swapped my scope for my camera as the rain had relented to a fine mizzle.

I walked along the bank with my camera and tried to take a photo of a nearby Meadow Pipit but my camera was having none of it. My camera does not like mizzle at all and often refuses to focus when it is misty. Grrr! I carried on and tried to find the Short-eared Owl again but it had disappeared into a dip/long grass somewhere. Blue Tit, Great Tit, Jay and a Great Spotted Woodpecker kept me company as I walked up to the sluice where I met a delightful ecologist doing a survey of the area. Together we watched Red Kite, Marsh Harrier, Skylark, eight Curlew flying over, Shelduck, Common Gull and Woodpigeon. He told me about the 43 Corn Buntings that he had counted earlier in the trees as he arrived to start his survey. In the river channel 20+ Teal, two Redshank and a few Mallards were lurking.

I walked back along the bank and watched 20+ Corn Buntings sitting in one of the trees and managed a quick photo of two of them before they took off in two small groups and flew to the marsh. I continued along the bank and watched a Kestrel, Grey Heron and another Little Egret. The mizzle had started again but the Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls were having a feast from the cockle shells remnants in the trailer, left at the side of the river. I stopped in the port to take a photo of a Peregrine on the grain store tower which was not there when I had arrived.

I had planned a day in the garden today to move my fruit cage now that I have had a new patio laid. However upon opening the curtains…..yes you’ve guessed it….it was another day of gloomy skies and rain. It’s no wonder that I choose to go abroad a lot, as I get so fed up of the continued grey skies day after day. However although very damp with lots of mizzle, coming and going, I was determined to get on with it, which I did. I was serenaded for most the time that I was in the garden by a Robin singing. I was surprised that it did not come and join me whilst I was digging over the area that my fruit cage was going to be moved to, as the soil was very wet with several worms available for it.

After many hours of toiling, I achieved my aim even though I had got quite damp through all the mizzle and went in to dry off and have a late lunch. I wanted to get a bit of birding in today, so drove to Flitcham where I found a pair of Grey Partridges amongst the Red-legged Partridges in a small covey. I drove further along the lane where I met Les and together we watched a male Marsh Harrier displaying over the lane, up very high.

At the hide, Les and I spent some time watching two male Marsh Harriers and a female Marsh Harrier, with the adult male Marsh Harrier really showing off to the female. The light was now very dismal as we watched a Red Kite in the distance.  Thirty-three Oystercatchers were in front of the hide around the water before a gunshot went off,  making them take flight, but they soon returned. A Barn Owl appeared and we had to alter our settings on the cameras to take account of the poor light, as the Barn Owl flew around catching two voles and perching on one of the posts. Another Barn Owl flew across the back of the field before we both went home, after watching a Song Thrush belt out its evening repertoire.