Mid-afternoon today I went over to Cley and walked the East Bank to the beach again for another spot of sea-watching. Unlike my previous visit the weather has now turned somewhat and today it was cold and very windy on the beach.
I did manage, however, to see more Manx shearwaters, alongside – as before – gannets, razorbills, common terns and a red-throated diver quite close inshore. Today there were also a few little terns. On the way back along the bank I stopped to photograph a lapwing in the late afternoon light. Lovely birds!
There was also a small flock of linnets feeding on the edge of the marsh, amazingly well camouflaged in the vegetation.
Before heading home I went into the Bishop’s Hide and was pleased that I had as there were three cattle egrets on one of the islands amongst black-headed gulls. At two points whilst I was in the hide the birds all took to the air – the first time because of a passing marsh harrier and the second as a peregrine falcon swooped through.
Brenda writes: “After continued wind and rain overnight I expected the trap to be empty but found 7 moths, 1 large yellow underwing, 3 large wainscot, 2 light brown apple and another Blair’s shoulder-knot. The day dawned sunny but much colder and the bride at the wedding I was taking arrived at church in a horse-drawn carriage.
After the wedding I decided to have a walk around the lake and it was lovely to see great crested grebe with young, little grebe, cormorants and little egrets. Surprisingly I saw no birds of prey but lots of deer down by the lake and in the woodland.”
No new species for October 14th:
TOTALS TO DATE:
Birds = 223
Moths = 250
Wildflowers = 289