Arrived Holme NOA carpark at 9.20am in time for the 9.26am 7.4 High Tide.
Straight over to
NOA Holme Bird Observatory seawatching point and counted 70+ Sanderlings along the shore.
7 Red Throated Divers sitting on the sea. 8 Common scooter going west,
2 red breasted mergansers going west, 150 oystercatchers, 27 brent geese going west, 3 grey plover on shore along with 1 ringed plover. 8 linnets on tide line, 27 redshank on shore, 3 meadow pipits,
1 Long tailed Duck going west and
another 4 Long Tailed Duck later sitting on sea from main beach gap at Holme when I bumped into Connor. A text from from another birder encouraged me to walk up the beach to see
47 Snowbunting, but alas due to massive amounts of yuppies in posh wellies and tons of loose dogs flying about in all directions, understandably there was no sign of 1 snowbunting let alone 47!!!!!!!!! Quite an amusing incident occurred in the morning, whilst walking on the beach I was moaning to Connor on the phone about the masses of dogs everywhere as a whole load of people with dogs were approaching me (obviously they heard my conversation) After I finished my conversation and they passed me a man said, 'you would have a fantastic time birdwatching if it wasn't for all these people wouldn't you?' and I looked him straight in the eye and said 'you are dead right there'!
I don't think he expected me to be quite so direct!!!!!!!!!!!! He did not reply back I hasten to add!!!!!!!!!!!! People were shouting loudly and whistling for runaway dogs and at this point I just wanted to run!!!!!! Anyway after bumping into Connor we both walked back through golf course and to River Hun bridge and followed the very muddy slippery path through to Redwell Marsh Hide. I am usually very sure footed BUT there was one particular dip in the path which caught me out and I went flying and as I scrambled up I could see I had a new pair of coloured brown
trousers:-O:-O!!!!!!!!!! Continuing on the hide we saw a Lesser White Fronted Goose first of all on the water and then flew across the other side onto the marsh, 60+ Curlews, loads of Greylags, Brent Geese, Pinkfeets and Canadas and a great spotted woodpecker was heard.
Walking back down the Firs Road we saw kestrel, pair of stonechat half way down and
3 marsh harriers circling round in the blue skies over NOA carpark. Someone else also tripped up on NOA carpark!!!!!!
220+ woodpigeons flew west.
The NOA are doing LOADS of work at the observatory, it all looks brilliant, with new wheelchair ramp around the side of bank which has created a new part to walk round - should be good for viewing pied flys!, new boardwalk to carpark hide, new hide at end of bank and the existing one moved to centre of the main bank, new boardwalk there too, new steps down to observatory area, and a wheelchair slope and rails next to observatory - all looks very good.:t:
Water Rail squealing by broadwater.
Tons of pinkfeets plummeted down onto Holme Marsh.
I was on the
NOA bank trying to photograph a pheasant balanced on top of seabuckthorn when something very interesting came up on the pager! Black Necked Grebe at
Gypsy Lane, Titchwell on Sea Pool (at end of the path) - asked Connor if he wanted a lift (which of course he did
!) and OFF we went, just about parked and walked as fast as we could to have fantastic views of the
Black Necked Grebe from 4.30pm until 4.45pm along with another BF member
and then we turned back to go to Brancaster Staithe area to try and find Twite, but too late and too dark. Excellent end to the day.:t:
Best Wishes Penny:girl:
