Penny Clarke
Well-known member
My birding trip today was BLAKENEY POINT, Norfolk.
The alarm went off at a bizarre time and I left later than I intended at 6.30am, arriving Coast Guard Cottages, Cley 7.30am and apart from 2 crazy people swimming - yes swimming I was the first one in the car park!
Very dull weather, I was expecting rain, so I was all kitted out with waterproofs, MASSIVE picnic etc etc. A few pied wagtails were flicking about in the car park, saw a couple of sand martins, several swallows flitting about, a black tailed godwit on marsh by carpark. I started my trudge along the shingle as it was high tide at 8.20am, the odd seal kept popping up to see what was going on. I noticed a dead guillemot on the tide line and a bit further along another one was sitting on the shore, looking very tired, poor thing. The skies looked brighter, as I walked along and everything started to light up as the sun started to flood through the clouds.
7.50am - Not far along the beach, to my left errupted a bird I have NEVER SEEN in my life before and I still don't know what it is????!!!!!!
Very difficult to describe, couldn't really see the colour of belly, coverts or throat as it was flying away from me diagonally (if you see what I mean) in the direction of the carpark, but all the back, rump, wings and tail were slate grey in colour and the outer edges of the wings were jet black; the tail was really long and was NOT forked (someone suggested long tailed Skua). It flew in a boyant manner and with quick wing beats and it made a 'Queek' noise , a couple of seconds interlude and then another 'Queek' a couple of secs etc etc as it flew away. My first thoughts were it must be an 'escape of some sort'. But even if it were WHAT THE BLEEP WAS IT????!!!!! Anybody any ideas, because its going to bug me forever if I don't know!!!!
After this!!!! I carried on to the 'Hood' and looked over at the brambles in far corner to a beautiful scene - lots of Swallows, adults and juvs and House Martins, all looking very busy, waking up, preening, chattering etc in the now beautiful sunlight. I noticed something very different just in front of them, again on the bramble, a female Ortolan Bunting!!!!!!!!!!!! It sat in the same spot quite a while, quite content to just sit in the sun. Wow! what a morning so far!
There was a continous stream, of common and sandwich terns and lots of ringed plover I noticed, counted 8 ringed plover on the shore and another 23 in flight further up. Saw several Little Egrets, so common now, but still lovely to see. Another birder caught me up and together we saw two lovely Yellow Wagtails. On reaching the 'Plantation' it was alive with birds and I got very excited, but ONLY Linnets, there was not ONE warbler in there!!!!! Only Linnets and OH wait for it - female Reed Buntings and yes they looked lovely in now glorious sunlight, but an icterine or even maybe a bee eater or something would be have been better!!! Sat down had a cup of tea and early lunch, it was now 10.30ish, my stomach told me it was about 1.30pm!
Further along had a chat with the Assistant Warden who said he had seen nothing but a chiff chaff by the lupins which has been here 3 months anyway! I shouldn't laugh but a really amusing incident happened, a lady asked the A.W. the way back to the village from here (she had walked from carpark 5 miles, same as me and thought she could just cross over!!!!) She was horrified when she realised she had to walk the same 5 mile route back!!!! I turned and smiled (wicked I know!). Anyway, walked round to Tern Hide, not a lot there, 3 curlew and 1 whimbrel. Walked back round to plantation to bump into a birder I knew who had come out to see my Ortolan Bunting (he hadn't seen it). There was virtually nothing in plantation now, it all went dead, so trudged back along the beach for a while, just to walk on hard sand (lovely treat!) and then turned back in just before 'The Hood' to see if I could see my bunting again. The birder and his friends I knew appeared ahead of me and they were walking along the shingle faster than they should be on a return journey from the point! He explained when we met, that someone else had seen the Ortolan on 'The Hood' - so we all headed in that direction - nobody could find it. Don't know who saw it again. But on the same bramble a beautiful female Whinchat appeared for us. Saw a wheatear on the way back and a quick glimpse of a odd looking pipit, that was very upright, bigger than meadow pipit, and had a burst of running, then stop, run, stop -disappeared into thin air!!! Got back to carpark 4pm, collapsed in my camp chair, stuffed chocolate and guzzled tea and then left.
Wanted to go to Walsey Hills while I was here, but needed to collect something from Cley Spy so headed in that direction instead. There was a MASSIVE traffic block of holiday makers in Cley, never seen it like that before, took aged to get through and got to Cley Spy at 4.59pm (they close at 5pm!).
Stopped at Holkham, Lady Anne's Drive for a quick scan and tea break. Did not walk anywhere, absolutely shattered. Stopped again at Burnham Norton car park in hope of seeing something in carpark bushes like a woodchat shrike or something (ha ha), but nothing and then carried on to Holme and even though I was tired, something made me go to Holme Marsh Bird Reserve, where they have 3 hides and pools (brilliant little spot this) Sedge was overgrown in 1st hide, nothing in here. Hide 2, not much there either (very unusual this) Oh a headless Snipe was stuck on a branch of tree about 5ft up just here (hope you are not eating at this point!). Hide 3 - more eventful - a Saturday night barbeque get together of 39 Egyptian Geese! Normally see marsh harrier from here, but not today. 2 or 3 herons waiting for fish, but not alot else. Jay on the way back. Dropped in parents for a yarn and then back to King's Lynn to get ready for work in the morning.
Happy Birding. :gn: :girl:
The alarm went off at a bizarre time and I left later than I intended at 6.30am, arriving Coast Guard Cottages, Cley 7.30am and apart from 2 crazy people swimming - yes swimming I was the first one in the car park!
Very dull weather, I was expecting rain, so I was all kitted out with waterproofs, MASSIVE picnic etc etc. A few pied wagtails were flicking about in the car park, saw a couple of sand martins, several swallows flitting about, a black tailed godwit on marsh by carpark. I started my trudge along the shingle as it was high tide at 8.20am, the odd seal kept popping up to see what was going on. I noticed a dead guillemot on the tide line and a bit further along another one was sitting on the shore, looking very tired, poor thing. The skies looked brighter, as I walked along and everything started to light up as the sun started to flood through the clouds.
7.50am - Not far along the beach, to my left errupted a bird I have NEVER SEEN in my life before and I still don't know what it is????!!!!!!
Very difficult to describe, couldn't really see the colour of belly, coverts or throat as it was flying away from me diagonally (if you see what I mean) in the direction of the carpark, but all the back, rump, wings and tail were slate grey in colour and the outer edges of the wings were jet black; the tail was really long and was NOT forked (someone suggested long tailed Skua). It flew in a boyant manner and with quick wing beats and it made a 'Queek' noise , a couple of seconds interlude and then another 'Queek' a couple of secs etc etc as it flew away. My first thoughts were it must be an 'escape of some sort'. But even if it were WHAT THE BLEEP WAS IT????!!!!! Anybody any ideas, because its going to bug me forever if I don't know!!!!
After this!!!! I carried on to the 'Hood' and looked over at the brambles in far corner to a beautiful scene - lots of Swallows, adults and juvs and House Martins, all looking very busy, waking up, preening, chattering etc in the now beautiful sunlight. I noticed something very different just in front of them, again on the bramble, a female Ortolan Bunting!!!!!!!!!!!! It sat in the same spot quite a while, quite content to just sit in the sun. Wow! what a morning so far!
There was a continous stream, of common and sandwich terns and lots of ringed plover I noticed, counted 8 ringed plover on the shore and another 23 in flight further up. Saw several Little Egrets, so common now, but still lovely to see. Another birder caught me up and together we saw two lovely Yellow Wagtails. On reaching the 'Plantation' it was alive with birds and I got very excited, but ONLY Linnets, there was not ONE warbler in there!!!!! Only Linnets and OH wait for it - female Reed Buntings and yes they looked lovely in now glorious sunlight, but an icterine or even maybe a bee eater or something would be have been better!!! Sat down had a cup of tea and early lunch, it was now 10.30ish, my stomach told me it was about 1.30pm!
Further along had a chat with the Assistant Warden who said he had seen nothing but a chiff chaff by the lupins which has been here 3 months anyway! I shouldn't laugh but a really amusing incident happened, a lady asked the A.W. the way back to the village from here (she had walked from carpark 5 miles, same as me and thought she could just cross over!!!!) She was horrified when she realised she had to walk the same 5 mile route back!!!! I turned and smiled (wicked I know!). Anyway, walked round to Tern Hide, not a lot there, 3 curlew and 1 whimbrel. Walked back round to plantation to bump into a birder I knew who had come out to see my Ortolan Bunting (he hadn't seen it). There was virtually nothing in plantation now, it all went dead, so trudged back along the beach for a while, just to walk on hard sand (lovely treat!) and then turned back in just before 'The Hood' to see if I could see my bunting again. The birder and his friends I knew appeared ahead of me and they were walking along the shingle faster than they should be on a return journey from the point! He explained when we met, that someone else had seen the Ortolan on 'The Hood' - so we all headed in that direction - nobody could find it. Don't know who saw it again. But on the same bramble a beautiful female Whinchat appeared for us. Saw a wheatear on the way back and a quick glimpse of a odd looking pipit, that was very upright, bigger than meadow pipit, and had a burst of running, then stop, run, stop -disappeared into thin air!!! Got back to carpark 4pm, collapsed in my camp chair, stuffed chocolate and guzzled tea and then left.
Wanted to go to Walsey Hills while I was here, but needed to collect something from Cley Spy so headed in that direction instead. There was a MASSIVE traffic block of holiday makers in Cley, never seen it like that before, took aged to get through and got to Cley Spy at 4.59pm (they close at 5pm!).
Stopped at Holkham, Lady Anne's Drive for a quick scan and tea break. Did not walk anywhere, absolutely shattered. Stopped again at Burnham Norton car park in hope of seeing something in carpark bushes like a woodchat shrike or something (ha ha), but nothing and then carried on to Holme and even though I was tired, something made me go to Holme Marsh Bird Reserve, where they have 3 hides and pools (brilliant little spot this) Sedge was overgrown in 1st hide, nothing in here. Hide 2, not much there either (very unusual this) Oh a headless Snipe was stuck on a branch of tree about 5ft up just here (hope you are not eating at this point!). Hide 3 - more eventful - a Saturday night barbeque get together of 39 Egyptian Geese! Normally see marsh harrier from here, but not today. 2 or 3 herons waiting for fish, but not alot else. Jay on the way back. Dropped in parents for a yarn and then back to King's Lynn to get ready for work in the morning.
Happy Birding. :gn: :girl:
