Norfolk Break

 My brother David, his friend John King and I have just spent a couple of days in North Norfolk doing a spot of birding. At times dire but at others delightful it was a mixed bag so typical of birding and overall a decent way of whiling away a few days off. The weather was similarly mixed, rubbish on the 28th but cracking on the 29th and 30th, I don't want to sound picky but an easterly wind would have been nicer! That mild critique aside it was good to avoid any of the wet stuff and the mix of (sometimes) excellent birds, some decent grub and good company made for a fine break.

Rubbish Pec Sand shot and better Little Gull effort.

On the 28th we spent a few hours at the normally reliable Titchwell where under mainly grey skies we struggled to find much of note. On the reserve itself the marshes seemed very quiet, there were few waders and only a limited selection of wildfowl. A few skeins of Pink-footed Geese passed over and their calls provided a suitably seasonal soundtrack to our walk.  Eventually we reached the beach where a look at the sea produced sightings of several Red-throated Divers and Common Scoters while there was a selection of waders feeding on the exposed rocks. After a look at Patsy's Pool we decided to call it quits and head towards Hunstanton for a look at the cliffs and nearby beach. Our fortunes did not improve however and we opted to head to our accommodation hoping the the new day might bring about an improvement.

Gannet and Guillemot

If the previous day had been more like Snorfolk than Norfolk then the 29th was more Ohfolk as we awoke to blue skies and the promise of some good birds. News of a Wilson's Phalarope at the North Pools near Wells pretty much decided our start to the day and after breakfast we set off to join quite a crowd of birders at the pools. The phalarope was showing well if distantly and we watched it for some time as it picked its way along the shore. Once we were satisfied with our views of the phalarope we decided to look for the Pectoral Sandpipers at the same site. We saw one of the two that had been reported and although close it was against the light so my record shots were poor but the bird itself was pretty fine. More than happy with the results we set off for Cley where a third American wader was on the cards but only if we could only find the long staying Long-billed Dowitcher.

Long-billed Dowitcher

On arrival at Cley we purchased our permits and then set off for a wander around the reserve. Pat's Pool produced some goodies of which a Little Gull was among the highlights, one gave very good views as it fed in front of the hide. Three Little Stints and a similar number of Curlew Sandpipers added some more quality to our wader list, a Green Sandpiper was also noted. Leaving the reserve behind for a bit we headed towards the east bank and a tilt at the dowitcher. Initial efforts met with failure though we did find a distant Spoonbill as well as a Greenshank on Arnold's Marsh before we reached the beach. A sea watch from here gave us great views of juvenile Gannets feeding off shore and good numbers of Guillemots as well as a few Sandwich Terns passing by. The return stroll along the bank came up trumps as the dowitcher delivered the goods making it a hat trick of yankee waders for today and my fifth within a week! Good views were achieved before we moved on towards the centre. While the chaps popped in for a spot of lunch I sat in the picnic area where a Wall Brown payed a brief visit before flitting off out of view.

Wood Sandpiper and White-fronted Goose

On our way back to Hunstanton we decided to pop into Titchwell and the old place redeemed itself after yesterday's dismal efforts. A better selection of waders were present today and these included Golden and Grey Plovers as well as a Wood Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank in amongst their ranks. At least five Spoonbills were on the fresh marsh where the highlight was a White-fronted Goose that David found and a first winter Mediterranean Gull that I picked out amongst the many Black-heads. More than pleased with our day's endeavours we went back to our digs in considerably better spirits than we were yesterday!

Curlew and Stonechat

This morning we took a walk along the coastal path towards Heacham where we failed to find the hoped for Grey Partridges. After a relatively short drive we pitched up at Dersingham Bog where my hunt for Black Darters produced similar results to the partridge mission. Birding was not much better though a family party of Stonechats added a quality finish to the proceedings. All in all  it was a fairly productive trip though without those American waders it might have been a different story - God bless America!

Small Copper and another shot of the Little Gull.