What a FANTASTIC day's birding.:t:
Was just going out of the door at 7am when Connor rang - I thought its got to be good to be ringing me at 7am! 'Greenish at Thornham Point Penny' said an excited, enthusiastic jolly voice!!!! 'I'll be there soon Connor, I am now leaving' I said. Anyway left home picked up father's papers, dropped them in and he had caught a
Bedstraw Hawkmoth in trap last night!!!!! - beautiful specimen. Carried on and mobile rang again, stopped car, it was Connor again, 'there's a wryneck now as well Penny' - at this point I was mega excited as I have dipped on wrynecks so many times over the years, the last time I saw one, I was probably Connor's age!!!! (thats a very long time ago!!!). So my new sports car went a little faster than normal. Got a nice shady spot in Titchwell carpark and walked up that bank as fast as my little legs could carry me!!! Getting quite hot already, wished I had bought sunhat with me, but never mind, wryneck, wryneck, wryneck!!! I think it was about 8.30 by the time I got up to Thornham Point, there was about 40-50 people by the time I left. Had fairly good views of
Greenish Warbler, but the
Wryneck do not appear for quite a while, I decided I was going nowhere until I had seen it! Anyway, I think it was about 9.30ish when it finally showed its self on bush and then a bit later, brilliant views sitting on dead tree stump, it looked stunning in my scope all orangey and beautifully marked in the sunshine, saw the greenish again at this point at the same time! Saw a yellow wagtail here too.
196 now for my Norfolk year list. I have been smiling all day:gh: Anyway, ambled happily back along beach, lots of waders including sanderling, turnstones, oystercatchers, gulls etc and lots of birders coming up the beach in the glorious sunshine!!! It was very hot now, bumped into several people along the bank. Caught up with Connor and gang along the bank where I saw 2 bearded tits, 1 barnacle goose:-O , 1 marsh harrier, heard water rail and then I went alone round Fen Trail which was alive with birds including wren, robin, chaffinches, turtle dove purring, party of 11 long tailed tits flitting about, 2 willow warblers, 1 blue tit, 1 great tit, 1 coal tit and then back by feeders a nice great spotted woodpecker on nuts. Quick chinwag in centre and then got lazy!!! Sat outside eating a vege pasty and a magnum (even though I had loads of food in boot of car!) Chatting to different people etc etc. A barred warbler and wryneck came up on someone's pager at Burnham Overy Dunes, so I thought, I'll head that way next. Went back to car and then stood in carpark furthest away to view plum tree for Camberwell Beauty that was seen on it yesterday! but no luck, couple of red admirals and a painted lady though. Connor rang me to say he had seen the Greenish W and red backed shrike at Holme!! and that the Camberwell Beauty had been seen at Thornham Point going west 'hopefully he said I will see it at Holme'!!!! (he didn't by the way!) You can't see everything Connor
Dropped into 'In Focus' and had a chat with Vernon about my binocular situation (lack of!) using my old Carl Zeiss 8x30's at moment. I am trying to stop myself buying the Swaro's 8.5x42's and found a good pair I quite liked at In Focus: Optricon DBA Oasis 8x42, was very impressed with these and at a good price of £499 (went away and thought!!!). Carried on along road, as I got to Holkham it was chocka block with holiday makers etc etc and Lady Anne's Drive was FULL no more parking!!!!, never seen this before! So I carried on and went for social stop at Walsey, lots of people there including Mr Lee Evans looking for Greenish Warbler in scrub at bottom, which I had a very, very brief view of, along with Connor and gang again (they get everywhere!) and several other people. Adder on bank too. Little Grebe on Snipe's Marsh. Speckled wood. 3 black tailed godwit flew over Arnolds Marsh, 2 little egrets and a young heron eating what looked like a rat (very long tail)!!! I left here and went up to Coastguards, made a cup of tea and got some food out and sat on shingle with scope eating my tea, lovely. Loads of people on beach. Couple of sandwich terns went by, not alot else. Left here and drove back along coast road (did not see red backed shrike which was down coast guard road) to father's to take some photos of bedstraw hawkmoth and then carried on back to King's Lynn.
Out at dawn tomorrow, hopefully I will ring Connor with something!!!!
Best Wishes Penny:girl: