The crew were all out on time and we were soon on our way to
Snettisham in the hope of witnessing the wader spectacle. Unlike the biggest
winter tides, there were not many people down there and wit glorious light we
got to watch the tide come quickly in and push the thousands of birds up close
to us.
Unfortunately the off shore
breeze kept the tide short of covering the mud but we still got see some
amazing swirling, twisting, murmurating balls and snaky lines of shimmering
Bar-tailed Godwits and Knot along with huge pied drifts of Oystercatchers,
perfectly separated groups of roosting Curlew, even more socially distanced
Ringed Plovers and a smattering of other species including stunning
black-bellied Grey Plovers, Dunlin, Little Stints and even Sanderling.
There were many BTO ringed Oiks and amongst
the Curlew were multiple colour ringed and white flagged birds whose digits I
did my best to read along with OP (I think) - one of the Headstarted releases which, along with the yellow flag
also has a radio tracker fitted to its back.
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| Curlew - OP - complete with radio tracker |
I also saw several colour flagged Bar-tailed Godwits and
Oystercatchers. There were still quite a
few sum plum Godwits and Knot too and a single Common Sandpiper was the first
of the trip. Sandwich and Common Terns
were also keeping pace with the tide and we were fortunate enough to see two
Little Terns (albeit Micro would have been a better name) along with two
juvenile Black Terns that briefly settled before disappearing high and inland. Common and Med Gulls were also both new.
A Kingfisher flashed along the channel where a Harbour Seal
watched us and flared its nostrils and female Sparrowhawk skimmed across in
front less than a foot off the shingle in an attempt to catch one of the small
Linnet flock.
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| Harbour Seal |
Great and Little Egrets were seen and Red Kites, Kestrels (nine on view at once!) and Marsh Harriers were on view near constantly with more Kites and Buzzards
inland behind us. Hundreds and Redshank
and Black-tailed Godwits and a few Turnstone had gone onto the pits in
expectation of a high tide and soon most headed back leaving just the Blackwits
resting up. A group of six Spotted
Redshanks were keeping to themselves on their own private island and 43
Spoonbills were asleep on the bank with some Cormorants and Greylags. Little Grebes snorkelled but there was little
else on there.
 |
| Spoonbills |
 |
| Black-tailed Godwits |
 |
| mostly Black-tailed Godwits |
Two Wheatears bounded around on the shingle sward outside
and a couple of Reed Buntings came out of the Suaeda but once again there were
almost no passerines whatsoever. We
began to walk back picking up a late Common Swift with some House Martins and
Swallows and shortly afterwards two purposeful Ravens making their way inland
beyond the pits. Big raptors were
constantly in view.
 |
| Suaeda maritima |
 |
| Wheatear caught between Oriole and Naturetrek |
 |
| Wheatear |
The tide had already retreated a long way and I was relieved
to find a young male Peregrine desperately trying to secure some lunch. It failed but did put on a grand show for us.
A few paces further on three Turtle Doves got up off the beach and did a
circuit and two flew right under our noses a short while later. Rather sadly my first in the UK this
year. Everyone was very pleased to get
such close prolonged flight views. A herd of Fallow Deer were seen on the drive out.
Lunch and toilets drew us away (not necessarily in that
order!) and I took us back along the crowded coast road to Holkham once again
passing Cattle Egrets on the way. The
sky was looking ominous but we stuck to the plan of a walk along the inside on
the pines and to be honest it was a delightfully calm, warm and relaxing
experience. As usual most people just
walk through the Gap and disappear!
 |
| Red Kite |
 |
| Red Kite |
It was very quiet bird wise with Goldcrest and Willow
Warbler added to the trip list as well as Treecreepers, Coal Tits and a few
Chiffchaff. There was not even one
Sylvia tack. Out on the dry fresh marsh
it was all about Red Kites and Buzzards and few Muntjac. I resorted to some quality moth leaf mine
time with the crew and educated them on the micro wonders happening in so many
of the leaves around us! Another Common
Swift flew lazily west with some Swallows which was surprising.
 |
| Work of a Megachile Leafcutter Bee |
 |
| Honeysuckle |
 |
| Fleabane |
 |
| Wild Privet |
 |
| Robin's Pin Cushion |
 |
| Old Man's Beard |
 |
| Ectoedemia heringella on Holm Oak |
 |
| Phyllonorycter corylifoliella on Hawthorn |
 |
| Stigmella aurella on Bramble |
 |
| Stigmella ulmivora on Elm - underside mine exit holes |
 |
| Acrocercops brongniardella on English Oak |
 |
| Stigmella speciosa on Sycamore |
There were plenty of Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters and
a couple of Ruddy Darters too and a few more Butterflies with Wall Brown,
Speckled Wood, Small White, Red Admiral and Comma all seen.
 |
| Common Darter |
 |
| Common Darter |
 |
| Red Admiral |
 |
| Speckled Wood |
We stood and quietly watched the view from
the platform beyond the Washington Hide before retracing our steps in the now
warm sunshine only to be greeted by a purple bruised sky with saturated clouds
heading over the Holkham Estate accompanied but spectacular fork lightening.
 |
| Jackdaw |
As we headed back to Briarfields we caught a few spots of
the edge of the storm but had once again somehow managed to avoid getting a
proper soaking.
As dusk fell as we headed for dinner a wave of mostly
Swallows – all silent – headed steadily and suddenly across the car park and
several hundred must have been involved and with a small vanguard was a lone
Common Swift. Could we have made it back
to Titchwell before the Holkham bird made it this far west?
We had a very convivial final dinner and opted to spend our last
morning back on the reserve where we would have our best chance of finding
something new.
