pstraughan
Well-known member
The unseasonally mild weather continues and we had a weekend in Norfolk with glorious blue skies and bright sunshine.
Saturday 19 November saw us at Titchwell and later Cley. We liked the controversial new hide at Titchwell and I think that the window opening system is brilliant. There were Siskins and Redpolls on the feeders outside the visitor centre. On the fresh water side of the hide there were several hundred Golden Plover and other waders such as Curlew, Avocet and Redshank. A Pink-footed Goose sat obligingly just outside. Squadrons of Brent Geese were moving about.
We timed our visit to coincide with high tide. The beach was full of very confiding Turnstones and Sanderlings. There was a Gannet out at sea.
On the road between Wells and Cley I was amazed to see three Swallows. A roadside bird watcher had a Buzzard in his scope but the reported Short Eared Owl and Rough Legged Buzzard did not appear while I was there.
We only had an hour at Cley before dark. The pool outside the first hide produced a Green-winged Teal, life bird for me. There were two Snipe feeding openly and a Water Rail close to the hide. We had great views of Marsh Harrier - four flying together at one point and then perched for prolonged periods.
The following day we visited Welney. I hadn't been there before and I came away with mixed feelings. Undoubted sighting of the day was a Peregrine eating a Wigeon which had been caught not long before we arrived. There were plenty of Whooper Swans both on the reserve and on the surrounding fields. The Bewicks were more elusive and did not come for the 3.30 pm feed.
On balance, I felt that the swan feeds were done more for commercial reasons than to benefit the birds. Perhaps because it was Sunday, people were standing several deep to see the show. We were lucky enough to get a seat. The birds, mainly Mallards and Pochards with the Swans, became very aggressive towards each other as the feed was put out. There has obviously been a lot of money put into the reserve. However, I did not like the way that the hides are all strung out in a row. Only the Observatory and the centrally heated hide offer really good, close up views.
It was good to have knowledgeable guides in the hides with spotting scopes but one or two were a bit over-helpful. They seemed to expect very little knowledge. As a volunteer elsewhere, I know that it's difficult to get the balance right but I felt slightly patronised.
Our original intention was to miss the show and have an hour at Snettisham on the way back to Hunstanton. However, it was starting to get foggy and we thought we might not see anything there.
A great weekend though, with about 70 species seen.
Pat
Saturday 19 November saw us at Titchwell and later Cley. We liked the controversial new hide at Titchwell and I think that the window opening system is brilliant. There were Siskins and Redpolls on the feeders outside the visitor centre. On the fresh water side of the hide there were several hundred Golden Plover and other waders such as Curlew, Avocet and Redshank. A Pink-footed Goose sat obligingly just outside. Squadrons of Brent Geese were moving about.
We timed our visit to coincide with high tide. The beach was full of very confiding Turnstones and Sanderlings. There was a Gannet out at sea.
On the road between Wells and Cley I was amazed to see three Swallows. A roadside bird watcher had a Buzzard in his scope but the reported Short Eared Owl and Rough Legged Buzzard did not appear while I was there.
We only had an hour at Cley before dark. The pool outside the first hide produced a Green-winged Teal, life bird for me. There were two Snipe feeding openly and a Water Rail close to the hide. We had great views of Marsh Harrier - four flying together at one point and then perched for prolonged periods.
The following day we visited Welney. I hadn't been there before and I came away with mixed feelings. Undoubted sighting of the day was a Peregrine eating a Wigeon which had been caught not long before we arrived. There were plenty of Whooper Swans both on the reserve and on the surrounding fields. The Bewicks were more elusive and did not come for the 3.30 pm feed.
On balance, I felt that the swan feeds were done more for commercial reasons than to benefit the birds. Perhaps because it was Sunday, people were standing several deep to see the show. We were lucky enough to get a seat. The birds, mainly Mallards and Pochards with the Swans, became very aggressive towards each other as the feed was put out. There has obviously been a lot of money put into the reserve. However, I did not like the way that the hides are all strung out in a row. Only the Observatory and the centrally heated hide offer really good, close up views.
It was good to have knowledgeable guides in the hides with spotting scopes but one or two were a bit over-helpful. They seemed to expect very little knowledge. As a volunteer elsewhere, I know that it's difficult to get the balance right but I felt slightly patronised.
Our original intention was to miss the show and have an hour at Snettisham on the way back to Hunstanton. However, it was starting to get foggy and we thought we might not see anything there.
A great weekend though, with about 70 species seen.
Pat
