This evening I managed to persuade Brenda to take some time off – she finished services at about 7pm – and we pottered off in the camper van with the intention of having a walk somewhere along the coast and then cooking a dusk meal in the van. However I had seen that a pectoral sandpiper had been sighted at Titchwell so we headed there for our walk. I’ve seen pectoral sandpiper only twice before, both times at Titchwell. Consulting my lists I see that the first time was on 21st September 2012 and the second was on exactly the same day in 2021!
The skies were very ominous and there were very few people about, but we found the pectoral sandpiper quite easily – a lovely small wader which I’ve seen before, slightly reminiscent of both a dunlin and a common sandpiper. The light was by this stage far too bad for a photo of the bird even though it was very close!
Having watched it for a few minutes we decided to beat a hasty retreat before the heavens opened. We made it back to the van and drove to Burnham Overy Staithe, where we parked in the beach car park and watched the stormy sunset whilst cooking pizza and pasta. Perfect!
Brenda writes: “Today was busy with services including a special art exhibition service at Wighton. The theme ‘cycle’ has been explored in really interesting ways by the artists, referencing the church building, its history, humanity’s relationship with the landscape, and the cycle of the seasons. In a way this blog is doing the same thing as we chronicle nature’s rhythm through our observation of birds, flowers and moths.
When I got home Steve persuaded me to come out for a walk. To paraphrase mole in Wind in the Willows I exclaimed, ‘Hang paperwork!’. He was after a pectoral sandpiper which we both saw. I was pleased to tick off some flower species I should have seen by now. I’d started the day by seeing travellers joy or old man’s beard on the hedge at the end of the road and knotgrass at Wighton.
Then at Titchwell I was pleased to finally see hedge woundwort and there were also fine bullrushes or reedmace growing up among the reeds. With a storm threatening we just got back to the car before the heavens opened.”
New species for July 16th:
Birds: pectoral sandpiper
Flowers: travellers joy, knotgrass, hedge woundwort, bullrush
TOTALS TO DATE:
Birds = 207
Moths = 185
Wildflowers = 244