Norfolk Birders

A very Happy New Year to all my friends, family and followers. I hope your adventures, health and happiness will be as exciting as I am planning mine to be and with three new grandchildren expected and many birding trips planned for the coming year it could be a busy one!

1st January

As I stepped outside my door and started driving in the semi-dark a beautiful Barn Owl was sat on the fence by the church in Roydon. What am amazing omen for the year to come. I always reckoned that if I saw a Barn Owl at the start of the day/year/bird race I was in for a good one! Skeins of Pink-footed Geese flew over my car at Sandringham as I headed for Titchwell. We were organising a 'beat the pro' at Titchwell today for a good start to anyone's year list to see how many species could be seen on the day. Trevor had a busy day writing them all down but before ratification I think the 'Titchwell Pros' finished the day on 101 species for the reserve for the day. Not bad for a single reserve! I smiled as the day before we had had a complaint from a visitor saying to us that there were no birds about on the reserve!!! (I'm sure that I could sell him a better pair of binoculars if he were to open his eyes!)

Later in the day I drove to Overstrand to join many Norfolk Birders at the traditional New Year's day party where the food was delicious and the company excellent as we are all widely travelled and regaled each other with our adventures. I thought I was reasonably adventurous but listening to one tale of of cycling around the world birding had me drooling over some of the wildlife sightings seen en-route! Like us, many of my friends are just about to board planes to leap off to foreign climes to add to their world lists. I wish them well as we are all so lucky to have birding partners with which to share our enthusiasm.

2nd January

Upon opening the curtains this morning I knew I had a busy day ahead as I've some pre-packing to do and birthday presents to order on my only completely free day off that I have nothing organised for, before I go away on holiday. However as usual I was distracted by my bird feeder and noticed a Redpoll on it. I rarely get them in my garden as they prefer my neighbour's feeder!

Two of my bird clubs have races/counts this weekend but sadly they have organised them for the same day leaving a bit of a quandary!! Decisions// Decisions????

4th January

Well the decision was quite an easy one as John and I drove down to Heathrow to save us the hassle in the morning

5th January

John and I flew to Amsterdam and onto Mauritius.

6th January

This holiday was quite a change for us as I have been quite ill recently and in need of some R and R so what could be better than some winter sun on an Indian Ocean island?

After a lengthy wait in immigration we picked up our car and drove to Ferney Valley to the Mauritius Kestrel recovery programme. We sat and waited until a pair of kestrels flew in and promptly mated in front of us. Back in 1974 the Mauritius Kestrel was down to the last 4 birds with only one female. With a species recovery programme in place there are now over 300 Mauritius Kestrels in the wild on the island.

January 8th

John and I drove to Pointe d’Esny where we caught the boat to take us across to Ile aux Aigrettes, a coral island where we were hoping to see two of the endemic species of Mauritius. There is nothing quite like a boat trip across a dazzling turquoise sea under a sunny sky in the wonderful heat of the tropics. John and I were enjoying every minute of it. After landing we made our way into the interior of the island where we saw several Aldabra Giant Tortoises. We soon saw the Mauritius Fody but the Mauritius Olive White-eye was quite a different matter as we had been warned that this would be difficult. We heard one but it was sometime before John spotted one near the feeders. All too soon it fitted away. I saw one another but my camera refused to cooperate.

We sailed back to the mainland and investigated another reserve where we failed to see the endemic flycatcher. We did some sea-watching from a beach and saw many Wedge-tailed Shearwaters.

January 9th

We started our day on the West coast of Mauritius at the Rivulet Terre Rouge Bird Sanctuary over-looking the River Terre Rouge estuary. Here on the mud we saw, Greater Sand Plover, Lesser Sand Plover, Terek Sandpiper, Curlew, Sandpipier, Common Sandpiper, Sanderling, Greenshank, Whimbrel and Grey Plover as well as a Saunders's Tern.

After booking our boat trip for Friday we spent the rest of the day swimming and enjoying ourselves with a few beers on the beach.

January 10th

John and I drove to Bras d'Eau National park once again to arrive soon after breakfast as we had been promised a ranger would be present to help us with some site information, as they had closed  up very early on our last visit. This seems to be a common problem at this reserve. We thought we might be in luck this time because at least the doors were open. However the lady inside knew nothing about the reserve or the birds present and took us two policemen outside on the road who might be able to help us !!!!!! She could not even provide a map and the notice board outside with a diagrammatic map on it bore no resemblance to the trailmap that I had gleaned off the internet before our arrival. I got my map out and the policeman pointed vaguely in the direction of the forest that we might start our search for the trail. Finding the Mauritius Paradise Flycatcher was going to be all down to us. A tiny bird in rather a large forest!

The heat was oppressive with a high level of humidity and we were soon reaching for water. Underfoot was difficult and certainly not the 'easy' grading that the park had suggested. The volcanic lava had us looking at every step as we picked our way through it. Friends had made a few suggestions to us where the bird could be seen but had all missed the bird on the loop despite walking the whole loop. After walking for two hours we had completed one of the loops with very little reward in terms of  birds seen except for a Scaly-breasted Munia and a few Zebra Doves and we were getting despondent and struggling with the heat. We stopped for a rest and some water at the picnic spot and saw a couple of Madagasgar Red Fodys before continuing back along the main trail. After climbing the steps I shouted to John as two birds had passed right in front of him without him seeing them. I raised my binoculars and had a magnificent view of a displaying pair of Mascarene Paradise Flycatchers. I was desperate for a chance of a quick photograph as well as trying to get John onto them at the same time.

14th January

After a long flight home I was still a bit tired this morning as Carrie picked me up for work but as I was in charge of the shop today at Titchwell, I thought I had better get up early and make an effort to look as best as I could. As we left Docking towards Choseley a beautiful Barn Owl flew down the lane in front of us. The only camera that I had with me was my phone and so I took some video footage of it before it perched on the hedge where Carrie and I stopped to admire it.

17th January

As I had a couple of hours to spare I kept local and made my way to Snettisham RSPB to see if the construction had started on the base for the new hide as well as trying to add one or two species to my paltry year list. A Sparrowhawk flew up the lane in front of me as I drove up the lane in Roydon and I watched a Jay in Sandringham Woods.

At Snettisham the tide was a long way out and a huge flock of Golden Plover were sitting on the mud. I watched Goldeneye displaying as well as Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Wigeon, Little Grebe and Tufted Duck on the pits as well as Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Curlew, Shelduck all out on the mud. I was struggling in the bitterly cold wind and so cut short my visit.

In the evening I attended Wensum Valley Birdwatching Society meeting at Lenwade where Jason Moss gave an excellent talk on various British Islands. It was good to catch up with many friends present.

18th January

An unexpected visit from Vicky and Dave was a lovely surprise and John and I enjoyed a wonderful meal out with them as we shared our tales of our recent travels to Sichuan, Colombia and Venezuela.

19th January

At Titchwell we have been trialling’ Breakfast with Harriers’ and so I had agreed to meet up with Ryan and Matthew and our visitors who had paid to accompany us to our two monitoring hides, which are not open to the public to watch the Marsh Harriers come out of roost. We were in position before sunrise and before long we had 26 Marsh Harriers in the air together. It was an amazing sight. I counted 35 Marsh Harriers coming out of roost as it got light. Unfortunately I had to return to open up the shop and so missed the bacon butties!

20th January

Thank you to those of you that have donated old binoculars to me for young people in Uganda which I am trying to encourage and support into birding and conservation with the help of Harriet my guide in Uganda. Yesterday my friends Jean and Roger gave the binoculars that were suitable to Harriet who will see that they get given to young enthusiastic Ugandan birders. A big thank you to all of you that so kindly helped.

22nd January

John and set off for Titchwell and as we were travelling between Choseley and Thornham saw a ring-tail Hen Harrier over the fields. We joined Trevor, Chris and Peter down at the beach at Titchwell and watched several Long-tailed Duck, Red-throated Diver, Eider, Shag, Kittiwake, Fulmar, Great Crested Grebe, Goldeneye, Razorbill, Common Scoter as well as Sanderling, Oystercather and Bar-tailed Godwits on the sand.

We walked up the path and watched a Spotted Redshank amongst the Common Redshank before making our way to the Parrinder Hide where we saw a Water Pipit on one of the islands.

At Holkham we admired the Snow Buntings and Shorelark as well as the Dartford Warbler in the Sea Buckthorn keeping the company of a Stonechat. On the marsh a Great White Egret was not far from some White-fronted Geese as well as many Wigeon, Egyptian Geese, Little Egret and Grey Heron.

23rd January

John and I started our day at Ormesby Little Broad where after watching a Kingfisher fly up the boardwalk in front of us, we soon located two female Smew present amongst the Gadwall and Shoveler on the far side of the broad keeping away from the ice. We had to walk back to the road-bridge before I located the Red-necked Grebe which was lurking in the reeds. The mist didn't help our efforts and there were several Great Crested Grebes present to add to the confusion with their necks all folded down.

We drove to Thurne where, thanks to Tony we located eleven Common Cranes.

At Ludham we found 28 Bewick's Swans and 88 Whooper Swans.

At Barton Broad we saw two Scaup amongst many Coot before driving onto Waveney Forest where we saw three Short-eared Owls, a Barn Owl, a kestrel as well as a very distant Rough-legged Buzzard. There were many Common Buzzard present so it was good to see the Rough-legged Buzzrd in flight as well as sitting on the ground.

January 26th

A beautiful Barn Owl flew across the road as I drove to work this morning.

January 27th

After a wonderful meal out last night, with one of the best cheesecakes that I have ever had, I had to be up early for work. It was the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch weekend, one of the most popular birdwatching event in the whole country. As I was responsible for the shop at Titchwell today after opening up, I was lucky in that being a Sunday morning and most people like a lie-in, it was not busy so that I could use the front feeeders and do an hour's birdwatch. It would be 'my garden' for the event. I counted the maximum number of each species at any given point in the hour. I saw 3 Moorhen, 29 Chaffinch, 4 Dunnock, 1 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Blackbird, 3 Brambling, 3 Woodpigeon, 2 Pheasant, 20 Goldfinch,Great Tit, Robin, Greenfinch and a Blue Tit. I entered the results on the RSPB's website to contribute to the 40 years of data that they have collected to see how trends in our garden birds are going.

As I arrived home in a howling gale I discovered to my horror that I had no electricity. It was cold and dark. It's amazing how much we take for granted living in the developed world as I struggled to get myself warm. By using my phone and powernetwoks website, it soon became apparent that the electricity supply would be off for some time. So there was nothing for it but to spend the time catching up on some of my non-computerised bird records from my last few adventures! It reminded me of the days that I spent writing my physics A-level essays during the miners' strikes back in the '70s !

January 28th

After work I attended the Great Yarmouth bird club member's night. It was an excellent evening with many active birders at the meeting. Justin Lansdell gave us an excellent talk about the various sub-species of Jays and what we should be looking for to distinguish between our resident birds and migratory birds. All very interesting. John gave a short talk about our trip to Greece with Bob giving a talk on 2018 and the interesting birds that he had taken photos of. During the interval I had a skim through Darren Rees's book 'Icebound' with his beautiful artwork which was a raffle prize.

January 29th

John and I started our day at Santon Downham where we failed to see the Great Grey Shrike. Nuthatch and Marsh Tit were calling and there seemed to be plenty of Blue Tits around. At Lynford Arboretum we watched six Crossbill stripping the cones of their seeds as well as many Siskins. We drove onto Grimes Graves where John spotted a Goshawk which we watched for sometime before motoring onto the layby south of Swaffham Forest where I picked out four Goshawk, 3 males and one large female. One of the males gave us a marvellous wing-clapping and rolling display.

January 30th

Having spent some time trying to keep pace with my world list, having swopped from a Clement's list to IOC, which the BOU adopt nowadays, I note that all British listers that have seen Steppe Grey Shrike on their lists have lost a tick as this has been lumped back with Great Grey Shrike. I will have to spend some time sorting out white-eyes too that I saw on my 2010 world trip and other trips to the far east in subsequent years. Grrrrrr...... It's a good job that I have a validation facility on my database to help! 

Thank you to all of you that have come in to see me at Titchwell and commented on my recent trip reports. It's nice to know that my efforts are appreciated as they do take quite a considerable amount of time to do. 

Panic set in yesterday as I realised that a few of my innoculations are out of date and it's not many weeks until my next trip. Trying to get a nurse appointment that works with my rota can sometimes be very difficult as I often have to book weeks ahead as my surgery is so busy. However over the years things change as many of the vaccinations that we used to have are now considered ineffective.

I had a lovely walk on Roydon Common on a beautiful winter’s morning where I saw a Common Snipe, two Common Buzzard, a Kestrel, 20 Skylark  and six Meadow Pipit.

The new car park is now open but is very muddy, so bring your boots. I was disappointed to find that that it is fractionally too low down to sit in a car to watch the Hen Harrier roost on a winter’s evening as a gate to the track where we used to watch from is now locked. There is now a new access route to the common across the former model airplane field. It was good to see a notice on the access gate about dog walking but sadly I saw seven dogs off their leads whilst I was there. Probably not too much of a problem at this time of year but I suspect that dog owners will need some reading lessons before nesting season!

2nd February

With news of a Little Bunting at Weybourne, John and I made sure that we were parked up early in the car park there. It was good to see so many friends present as we all walked to the fisherman's gate where Moss Taylor greeted us and took our donations. Once we were all through the gate, he locked it and we walked to the back of the trees and up through the wood. We walked through a strip in the fodder crop and organised a flush through. The Little Bunting was seen in flight several times but it was quite a while before it settled along with Chaffinches at the side of the wood. Many people had unfortunately made a wrong decision and went he wrong side of the wood and unfortunately missed the bird as we all had to leave by 10.30am when the gate was locked once again. Thanks must go to Moss for organising the access for us all.

We drove to Thornham Harbour where along with Jim Lawrence we watched thirteen Twite feeding on Sea Aster before moving on to Snettisham where we watched a Little Stint amongst the Dunlin out in Wash with Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwith, Knot and Shelduck.

We walked over the causeway  at Snettisham and found the Short-eared Owl in its usual spot. It was now very cold so we were pleased to find the Smew on pit two so that we could return home and the warm!

3rd February

John and I started our day at Flitcham where we watched four Tree Sparrows by the cowshed before driving onto Sculthorpe Moor where three Mealy Redpolls were amongst a small group of Lesser Redpoll. From one of the hides we watched Bullfinch and Brambling before walking to the hides by the river where we watched a Great Spotted Woodpecker and two Sparrowhawks fighting. It was a beautiful day with clear-blue skies but not quite the same temperature that we had enjoyed in Mauritius a few weeks ago! In fact the boardwalk was covered in ice and made for a treacherous walk. Never mind....only a few more weeks until we shall be hot again!

We drove to Swanton Novers Watch Point where we watched three Goshawk, one Common Buzzard as well as eight Red Deer and after a quick chat to Marcus we enjoyed a lovely lunch in a local hostellry. On returning to Flitcham the Little Owl was perched in its usual tree.

5th February

Such an exciting day as my twin grandsons were born to my son Jonathan and his wife Sarah Bryan. Welcome to the world Edward Keith Bryan and George Alfie Bryan. They are just gorgeous and lucky to have such wonderful parents. I now have 5 grandchildren...it's getting to be quite a dynasty or half a hockey team at least!!! (My family were/are all hockey players at one stage in our lives).

6th February

After the exciting events of yesterday I opened the blinds to see two unusual birds on my sunflower feeders that had me reaching for my binoculars. A bright red male Lesser Redpoll was quite clearly needing a closer inspection as it was greyer toned than I would expect of a Lesser Redpoll with brighter-white underparts of the more usual buffy tones of a Lesser Redpoll. The bird spent much of its time around the back of the feeder, much to my frustration and I decided to get my camera but the two birds did not hang around and soon flew off before I could get a photo. It will have to be logged as a Lesser Redpoll but I suspect it was an intergrade Mealy Redpoll. Several Goldfinch, Greenfinch and a lone Coal Tit kept the feeder busy as I left to buy some presents for the twins in town.

After my shopping purchases I drove down to Lynn Point where the Herring Gulls were having a feast in the mud from the cockle shed outflow in the docks as I passed by. Down at the point eight Yellowhammer sat in a bush along with two Reed Bunting. Two Marsh Harriers were flying over the marsh as eight Grey Herons were standing on the mud or on the marsh. A group of 30+ Teal flew out from the Babingley channel as I watched a lone Common Redshank picking its way along the channel as well.

This evening we booked Rod Stewart concert tickets! Whoop whoop! Can't wait to see him!

7th February

On a very blustery winter's day John, Richard and I walked down the riverside at Santon Downham where we failed miserably to see anything much at all. The birds obviously had more sense than we did and stayed well sheltered and hidden away. It seemed pointless staying for long as the wind was ferocious. After passing the reedbed on the way back John spotted the Great Grey Shrike in a Hawthorn bush and I was just quick enoughto see it before it flew off. We walked to the path by the railwayline and luckily Richard saw it just before it flew across the river and out of sight. After a fruitless searh of the churchyard we drove to Lynford Arboretum where we watched ten Hawfinch feeding on the ground underneath the Hornbeam tree. We watched Marsh Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit and many Blue Tit as well as a few Goldcrest in the shrubs along the pathways.

We motored onto Thetford where we watched a Yellow-legged Gull on a roof in Burrell Way before being invited out to a meal with friends for the evening.

8th February

A big thank you to all of you that have contacted me in various ways about the safe arrival of the twins. It has been an amazing few months and with one more baby still to arrive and another amazing birding trip on the horizon I have been able to ignore the horrible,wet and windy weather outside and the usual doldrums associated with it!

10th February

It has been another horrible wet and windy day at Titchwell but it always surprises me just how many visitors we get on such a day.  Life inside visitor centre was very upbeat because of the wonderful staff and volunteers that we have and today we had a lot of laughs whilst helping our visitors. Many of our visitors enjoyed watching two Barn Owls, one of which I could see hunting over Thornham Marsh from the visitor centre. On my way home I saw three more Barn Owls. I always think of them as a good omen for things to come! They are just so beautiful as they hunt along the hedgerows and I slowed down to watch one of them.

12th February

13th February

I saw three Barn Owls on my home from work this evening and a Woodcock flying along my road just before my house.

14th February

A lovely Long-eared Owl Valentine's card today! Goodness knows who from???

15th February

Mick and I arrived at work early because of shop changing hours that gave me enough time to have a walk down the West Bank path before I needed to open the shop. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and many birds singing as if it was Spring. I wandered down to have a look at the Freshmarsh where a Mediterranean Gull was sitting on the water. My first one of the year. I rather suspect it will be joined by many others quite soon.

16th February

I drove down to Horsham to see my newly-born grandson, Brodie and the grand new extension to Mark's house. My son's family greeted me and after a quick cup of tea we were back out of the door to take Isla swimming. We enjoyed a cooked breakfast in Horsham before donning our boots where Mark, Isla, Finlay and I went for a walk in the woods that back onto their house. We saw Marsh Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit and Treecreeper as well as having lots of fun in the mud and puddles.

17th February

After a good night's sleep (I was surprised at this with a new baby in the house) Isla crept into my room to wake me up for a cuddle. It was time to get up to play apparently! Mark was busy sorting out the car to make it into 3 rows so that we could all go down to Worthing for the day. It was certainly a task and a half getting us all ready and all safely strapped into seat belts and car seats! Once again it was a beautiful day and Common Buzzards were soaring over woodlands as Mark drove us to Worthing. Isla added Herring Gull to her birdlist as we arrived at the sea. I added Red-throated Diver to my day-list but sadly too distant for Isla to see. She is getting really keen now and has her own binoculars and looks after her field guide. We enjoyed picking up shells on the beach and it was fun trying to explain to Finlay why we were not too keen to go for a swim in the sea.

18th February

Aghhhh.............A painful arm today after a Typhoid injection ready for my next trip!

19th February

John and I started at Santon Downham where we saw a Grey Wagtail along the river along with Marsh Tit, Brambling, Siskin and Marsh Tit. We admired the Snowfalkes in the wood by the church before watching a singing Firecrest at Lynford as well as a Goshawk.

20th February

Frances and I watched two Barn Owls from the Titchwell Visitor Centre window today.

21st February

I was up early and walked down to the sea at Titchwell where I joined Colin and watched 4 Great Northern Diver, Black-throated Diver, 10 Red-throated Diver, 2 Red-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe, 8 Eider, Long-tailed Duck along with many Red-breasted Merganser, Goldeneye and Great Crested Grebe. On Patsy's pool I joined Andy Clements where we saw a Red-crested Pochard amongst Common Pochard and Greylag Geese as well as a Stonechat.

Darren Rees has kindly sent me his artist book, 'Ice Bound' of his recent trip to Antarctica as well as an original doodle. It will bring back some wonderful memories, I'm sure. Thanks Darren!

I attended the Wensum Valley Birdwatching Society talk this evening, given by Gary Hibberd about Holme Dunes nature reserve. Many of you will remember me working at Holme years ago and it was good to see the fascinating photos Gary had of the reserve and the wildlife there. It was an excellent talk. Thanks Gary. Meeting up with friends is always good and it was good to see Lucy fit and well again.

22nd February

Mick and I saw a Little Owl sitting on top of a telegraph pole in Bircham on our way home this evening.

24th February

Arriving at work early it was a beautiful day for a walk at Titchwell before work. I heard 4 Cetti's Warbler singing and a Chiffchaff in full song as I walked along the trails in the sunlight.

25th February

I started at Holme where it was a beautiful day with a flat-calm sea. I watched 4 Slavonian Grebe, 2 Red-necked Grebe, 6 Great Northern Diver, 22 Long-tailed Duck, a small group of Eider, a few Goldeneye and many Great Crested Grebe and Red-breasted Merganser. I then drove to Sculthorpe and met up with Graham Sherwin, who has taken on the task of being the NarVOS recorder and making a very good job of it. Tony Gray joined us and together we watched the Coue's Arctic Redpoll along with several Mealy and Lesser Redpoll. After listening to Graham's tales of the life of being a recorder, I drove to John's to enjoy the last rays of the sun in his back garden with a glass of wine or two before being driven to the Great Yarmouth Bird Club talk. Here I was able to obtain a replacement from a fellow bird club member, for a small donation of the Colombian field guide that I had taken months to acquire, that I had had stolen from me. 

Steve Smith presented Bob Cobbold with his award for the 'best find' of the year. The Black-bellied Dipper at Briggate.

26th February

After a very busy day working in the cafe at Titchwell, I drove to NarVOS where we had a very interesting talk about the Denver Sluice and Welmore sluice complex and how it drains and supplies water to all East Anglia. The talk finished early enough for all the old stalwarts of the club to meet up in our usual pub to enjoy a drink or two together. It was good to catch up with all the news. On the way home a Tawny Owl was sitting on a branch above the road at Gayton as I drove underneath. 

27th February

It was Titchwell's 46th birthday and Clare had baked a cake to celebrate the anniversary of the RSPB paying £53000 to buy Titchwell Marsh to try and protect nesting Montagu's Harriers. What a wonderful investment it has been for birds and wildlife since that day.

During the day Ryan radioed in to tell me that there was a Red Kite flying over the visitor centre. I was just in time to see 2 Common Buzzards and a Red Kite fly over.

28th February

Carrie and I watched a Red Kite at Choseley flying over the pig fields on our way to work this morning. Later in the day Dave Hawkins radioed in to tell us that he had 3 Hen Harriers over Thornham Marsh. I spotted Ray Gribble on the path and managed to alert him of their presence. The volunteers and I managed good views of one of the ringtails from the visitor centre as it flew close by the path.

1st March

There are times in life when as a parent you just beam with pride at the achievements of your offspring. I have always been very proud of all my children as I count myself extremely lucky that they have all turned out to be decent hard-working adults. I have just learned that my second son Jonathan has been picked for the England over 35s hockey team. Well done darling.

Today I had a frustrating drive to Gloucestershire after having got diverted off my usual route but eventually arrived safe and sound to meet my newly-born twin grandsons Teddy (Edward) and George. As I was rocking Teddy to sleep I watched Red Kites from Jonathan's new extension being mobbed by crows. The twins are just so adorable and were beautifully behaved as I enjoyed cuddling them both. 

2nd March

Whilst watching my son Jonathan play hockey in Cheltenham, I watched a Red Kite tumbling in the increasing wind above my head. I also saw more Red Kites on my way to Oxford to see my daughter before she has her baby soon. 

4th March

John and I took a short walk toLynn Point this afternoon after storm Freya had passed through where 4 male Reed Buntings were sitting in a bush as we walked to the point. Once there we watched a thousand Brent Geese take off and land on the fields the other side of the river. Six Redshank were on the riverside as two Grey Heron flew over the river. We watched a Marsh Harrier flying in the distance the otherside of the seabank and a Barn Owl quartering the bank by the Poplar Trees. As it was very cold and windy we beat a hasty retreat back home.

5th March

John and I had brief views of the Black Redstart at Choseley barns this morning.

6th March

John and I met up with Patrick and Claire and drove to Herringfleet in Suffolk where we soon found the Green-winged Teal amongst the Common Teal. However because of the trees surrounding the pools of water it was difficult to find a spot where I could take a photo from.

8th March

John and I started at Santon Downham where we didn't have to wait very long for the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker to show itself as it drummed away on on of the dead trees.

We watched a Water Rail swimming alongside us as we walked back before crossing back over the road to look for the Mandarin Ducks. Two female Mandarins flew up the river as we watched a Kingfisher and several Grey Wagtails.

We drove to Drymere where we watched several Woodlark and a Yellowhammer singing. Common Buzzards were spiralling in the air as we searched several areas for Willow Tit without success.

10th March

Loving my new laptop which is so much quicker than my old second-hand laptop and my thanks must go to Trevor and David for advice given on the purchase and setting up. I can now miracast all my photos onto my TV wirelessly once again.

It was a miserable day at Titchwell with very few visitors today in the gale-force winds and rain. In the afternoon I walked to Patsy's pool to check the boardwalks etc where a few Greylag and Canada Geese were sheltering along with Tufted Duck, Moorhen, Coot and Teal. A Marsh Harrier went whizzing by in the wind as I made my way to the driveway where 7 Curlew were feeding in the field alongside the main road. The feeders were busy all day with Goldfinch, Brambling, Chaffinch, Greenfinch with Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, Pheasant and a Moorhen underneath on the very soggy mud.

11th March

John and I started the day in NW Norfolk where we watched 2 Ravens and a Buzzard interacting with each other. After a spot of shopping waiting for the tide to drop at Hunstanton we drove to the sailing club and after a brief search of the seafront examining all the groynes I located a Purple Sandpiper sitting on groyne number 4. There were numerous Turnstone and Oystercatcher on the beach in the gale-force winds. 

13th March

I watched a Red Kite by Choseley barns as I drove to work this morning. After a very blustery day at Titchwell I drove to Holt, passing a Barn Owl at Letheringsett to join John for a meal before meeting up with Ann and Andrew at the Cley Bird club meeting. Here we joined with friends to listen to John's presentation of his trip to NW Argentina. He followed some of the route that I had taken back in 2010 and it was nice to see some of the photos of the sites and birds that I had seen back then. However some of the shallow lakes that I had seen so many birds on were just dust bowls which would have been so disappointing for John after the wonderful birds that I had seen there. Ann and Andrew recounted some of their tales of their recent Japanese trip which also brought back memories and we will all be meeting up again soon for our next exciting adventure! I had better get my suitcase out!

15th March

Mick East and I watched  2 Red Kites from my kitchen window before left for Titchwell today. Was it so long ago that we used to travel all the way to Wales to see these wonderful birds?

17th March

After passing the police catching unsuspecting speeding motorists through West Rudham, it was good to see a Red Kite flying overhead.

John and I started at Blakeney where we had been invited by Richard to sit in his house and watch his neighbour's back garden where there was a Turtle Dove frequenting it. Enjoying a cup of tea and biscuits we waited without a lot of luck to be begin with, except for a Sparrowhawk that has taken a liking to Richard's small passerines. Richard gave us instructions on where to see a roosting Tawny Owl and so we went to see it before returning to his neighbour's house where we were invited in to see the Turtle Dove. It was too close for my lens but flew to a nearby tree where it sat hiding up as best it could!

At Cley we wandered down East Bank and watched a Slavonian Grebe along with Lin and Phil on a pool west of the East Bank before adding a Spoonbill to my yearlist back near the road. We motored to coastguards and Dot and Steve told us where they had seen the Wheatear running on Eye Field.

I'm loving my new laptop which is making life so much easier and has the quickest start-up and close down that I have ever had in a computer. Yesterday I uploaded and got running Wildlife Recorder too. The quickest I have ever done it. Thanks Jack! I am informed a new version of this is just about to be launched. Good job I have a current subscription as the upgrade will be free for those of us that have this. In a few weeks time I am hoping to add to my world list!

18th March

I had decided to have a day at home to finalise my packing for my next adventure but when I saw that the wind had dropped and the sun was shining, I did what I always want to do and went birding! Not too sure which way to head at first but eventually I decided to head for the Brecks and wandered along some of the Swaffham forest rides. A Nuthatch was calling and Blue and Great Tits were on show. Siskin and Chaffinch were in the tree tops as a Goldcrest landed in front of me too close for my lens. Several Mistle Thrush sang as I listened to a distant Woodlark but could not find it. I retraced my steps and listened to a Willow Tit singing. It was not at all keen to have its photo taken as it landed partially hidden by twigs making it impossible for my camera to focus. Another bird flew in but only briefly before I manged a couple of snaps of the original bird. I continued to another area where a female Goshawk flew across the tops of trees quickly followed by several sightings of  Common Buzzards.

I drove to the now well-known layby in Swaffham forest and joined Peter Dolton and together we watched another Goshawk, Peregrine and several more Common Buzzards. I scanned the local fields for Stone Curlew without any luck. They will have to wait!

20th March

With news of a White-tailed Eagle flying along the coastline, we were all on tenterhooks in the visitor centre at Titchwell. I had friends in the visitor centre who were going to drive along the coastline and ring me if they saw the bird. Pauline sent me a message to say that she was watching it at Burnham Overy Dunes and Chris took a radio and wandered down the West Bank Path. It didn't take long before he radioed in to say he had picked it up flying towards the reserve. Sally, Frances and I made our way down the path and I kept watch as I ran down. Trevor and Chris were tracking it in their scopes and Trevor got me onto the bird. The White-tailed Eagle was being mobbed by two Common Buzzards as it approached the reserve. As I returned to the visitor centre I managed to show Carrie the bird and lots of visitors too. Hayley...........you were a star!

21st March

John and I had a brief lunch-time walk at Titchwell and chose to walk to Patsy's Pool where a few Tufted Duck, Pochard, Coot and a Mute Swan kept the flock of Greylag Geese company. A Chiffchaff sang from the sallows on the way back as a Mediterranean Gull called from overhead. The pools around the Meadow Trail were alive with toads all mating.

I spent the evening at the Wensum Valley Birdwatching Society meeting where one of my colleagues was giving a talk about the head-starting project of Black-tailed Godwits. It was an interesting talk and good to meet up with friends there. Allan gave me some very interesting information!

22nd March

Mick and I saw a Red Kite at Anmer on the way home from Titchwell this evening.

23rd March

John, Ann, Andrew and I had asked Bird Tour Asia to put together a customised trip to Sarawak and Sabah, Borneo targeting some specialities and endemics for our next birding holiday. The day had arrived for our departure and so we flew from Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur overnight to begin our travels.

24th March

From Kuala Lumpur we boarded another flight and flew to Miri in Sarawak, Borneo where we spent the night in a hotel next to the airport after being met by Yeo our guide for the next seven days.

25th March

With our guide Yeo we boarded a small Twin Otter aircraft and flew into the hills and landed at Lawas. From here we fllew to Bakelalan. After sorting ourselves out two drivers loaded our birding gear whilst our luggage was taken to our homestay on a motorbike!

We drove to the top of a deserted road and walked down birding as we went. As I shall do a trip report as usual I will keep my diary brief. However we all enjoyed watching the Bornean Banded Pitta before lunch was taken at the homestay. As we were all fairly exhausted and trying to cope with the heat we were glad of an afternoon’s rest.

26th March

We were up at 4am and birded all morning at Bakelalan, Sarawak, Borneo and I enjoyed watching 20 new lifers to add to my list. The evening was spent watching a Dulit Frogmouth a very rare, range-restricted bird, only know from a few locations in the world.

27th March

The day was spent birding the Bario Road at Bakelalan in Sarawak. I enjoyed watching a Red-bearded Bee-eater as well as an Orange-breasted Trogon, a pin badge that I have worn on my RSPB uniform for many years. I was so pleased to see one at long last!

28th March

We drove along a dirt road for 4 hours today and left our luggage in a homestay as we had to walk 5km uphill along a forest trail with just what we could carry with porters carrying our food and water for a two-night stay in a wooden cabin. (It reminded John and I of Pasoh, which we had both stayed in on a previous visit to peninsular Malaysia.) It was difficult going in hot, sweaty conditions and exceedingly wet underfoot. My boots leaked and I was glad of my walking pole to help my balance as we crossed rivers with precarious logs as bridges to negotiate. One of our target birds, Black Oriole was seen as soon as we arrived just as it got dark. Our trip was focused on the 'difficult to see' birds, endemics and critically endangered birds so we all knew that there would be some hardships to endure.

29th March

Walking up a stream, my feet were now sloshing around inside them we took a long time to find Hose’s Broadbill, another rare, difficult to find target bird. It was certainly shy and gave us all a merry dance. We walked back to the cabin for lunch and I washed standing in a bucket of cold water as it was so hot and sticky. We did little in the afternoon as we were all exhausted from our morning’s exertions. Along with Yeo, our guide we looked for the Bornean Frogmouth without success in the evening.

30th March

We were up at 6.30am for a final search of Bornean Frogmouth. Yeo thought that he could hear it but could not locate it. We all searched and after a lot of effort I finally located its tail through a tiny gap in the leaves. With the help of a laser I managed to get the others all on to it. Result! We certainly derserved it after all our hours of effort!

We walked the 5km back down the trail to the waiting 4x4s and we driven to the homestay, had lunch and were then driven for 2 hours to Lewas where we said goodbye to our guide Yeo and met our new guide Wilbur. He took us to the Klias Peat Swamp Reserve where we watched a Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker and Reddish Scops Owl before checking in to our hotel at Beaufort.

31st March

After birding Klias Peat Swamp Reserve we drove to Kotu Kinabalu where we caught a flight to Lehad Datu. We drove for 3 hours to Rainforest Lodge in Danum Valley, a complete change as the accommodation is very upmarket! We had a deluxe cabin too! The surroundings were spectacular in prime jungle as birds abounded. We watched Blue-throated Bee-eaters from the veranda of the restaurant. Bliss! After a delicious evening meal we took an evening night drive where we watched a Lesser Mouse-Deer as well as Sambar Deer.

1st April

After waking up with a terrible migraine I struggled to walk the trails this morning. We were spoilt with views of Black-crowned Pitta, Blue-headed Pitta and stunning views of Great Argus. John could not contain himself as this was one of his most-wanted birds. We returned to the lodge where I slept until mid-afternoon. The afternoon was hot and sticky as we walked the jungle trails. I was excited as we watched a mother and baby Orang Utan as although I had seen some in the morning the views had not been good.

2nd April

We were up early and used the electric buggy to watch the canopy of trees for hornbills. I added six life-ticks before we hit the trail again where I was lucky to see Helmeted Hornbill through a narrow gap in the trees. Unforunately not all the group had the same window of opportunity.

In the afternoon we were taken by a park guide and walked several jungle trails. I managed to see a female Blue-headed Pitta but it ran behind a tree before the others saw it and promptly disappeared. A female Great Argus ran across the track as we returned to the Rainforest Lodge.

After dark we enjoyed a night drive where we saw a Black-headed Pitta at roost.

3rd April

John, Wilbur and myself were taken up the road at 6am and dropped 4km away from the lodge. We walked slowly back and enjoyed some excellent birding. I was pleased with another 7 life-ticks including Wallace’s Hawk-eagle.

We chilled out back at the lodge as there was an air of excitement as all the staff were awaiting for the arrival of Dame Judi Dench. We could hear the arrival of a helicopter and an entourage of people  arrived sorting out luggage and drinks. After seeing her we left in our vehicle and drove back to Lahad Katu where we changed vehicles and drove to the Gonmantong Caves. Here I was transfixed by the sight of the enormous caves with bats and swifts everywhere and the rope ladders stretching up to the roof of the caves so that the locals could harvest the nests. Wilbur and I went inside for him to show me Edible-nest Swiflet, Mossy-nest Swiftlet and Black-nest Swiftlet. The smell of the droppings and guano was interesting!

We carried on to the Myne Resort on the side of River Kinabatangan where there was a Buffy Fish Owl and 3 Bearded Pigs in the car park.

4th April

We were up at 5am and went on a river cruise where we watched Blue-eared Kingfisher, Malaysian Blue Flycatcher and Lesser Adjutant Stork as well as many common river species. I was pleased with Wrinkled Hornbill as a life-tick as well as the other six species of hornbill that we saw. A Storm’s Stork was a welcome addition before we heard a pair of Hooded Pittas calling. I managed to see both birds but failed miserably to get a photo. Grrrr...

After our evening meal we had a boat ride in the dark where we heard a Oriental Bay Owl but despite our best efforts we failed to see it.

5th April

We had another early morning boat ride that produced good views of Jerdon’s Baza. We had many Blue-eared Kingfishers up one of the creeks as we sweltered from the heat and humidity. Many hornbills flew across the river as we returned to lunch in our restaurant overlooking the river. An afternoon boat ride on the River Kinabatangan added White-bellied Woodpecker to my list in the heat of the day. I also added White-bellied Sea Eagle to the trip list. We were pleased to get back to a cold shower as the heat had been very draining on our energy levels.

6th April

We had another boat ride on the river but failed to find the expected ground-cuckoo despite our best efforts. A White-bellied Sea Eagle caught a fish and flew off with it in front of us before we realised what was happening. An Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher flew across me almost taking my nose off in its haste to get across the river. Black Hornbills seem to be more numerous than yesterday.

All too soon it was time to pack up and leave as we drove for 5 hours to get to Kinabalu Pine Resort with stunning views of Mount Kinabaku from our cabin.

7th April

We left our accommodation at 5am and drove into Mount Kinabalu Park in the dark. We failed to see Mountain Scops Owl despite hearing it we walked the trails which were hard work with our walking poles and I was pleased with my 8 new ticks seeing Red-breasted Partridge, Crimson-headed Partridge and several Indigo Flycatchers. John wanted to see flowering Rafflesia and so we drove to a site so that he could see one in the heat of the day. It is a parasitic flower and one of the largest of the world at nearly 2 feet across.

8th April

We entered Mount Kinabalu Park in the dark again and despite our best efforts did not hear a scops owl. We walked the Bukit Ular trail and managed to see the Everett’s Thrush really well. Result! We drove to the top of the park and birded our way the 4km down the road. By the time we reached the restaurant it was really hot and we deserved some refreshment. Being a muslim country beer was not an option. We were joined by a Temminck’s Sunbird in the Fuchsias. Rain stopped play for the rest of the day.

9th April

We had another lovely morning’s birding on Mount Kinabalu and walked the road all the way down back down to the restaurant. I was pleased with the Sunda Whistling Thrush and was thrilled with seeing the Fruithunter.

All too soon it was time to drive to Kota Kinabalu for our flight to Kuala Lumpur. Once we had landed we drove to a Restaurant and met up with James Eaton for a pizza. He had just returned from birding in Vietnam. We drove to Bukit Tinggi where we spent the night. We were lucky to see a Large Frogmouth in the evening.

10th April

We had an amazing morning at Bukit Tinggi in the Japanese garden where we saw a pair of Ferruginous Partridges and several Mountain Peacock Pheasants. Luck was on our side as Wilbur heard a Rail Babbler. With James Eaton and Wilbur on the case we all stared downhill through deep undergrowth and I saw a RAIL BABBLER walk right across an open gap! It is one of birding’s holy grails and we could not believe our luck! After another hour’s birding we drove onto Fraser’s Hill. It brought back such memories of nine year’s ago when I was last here. What a wonderful place to go birding.

Wilbur soon had us on a stake out for Malayan Partridge and after throwing down a few worms we all sat down and waited. It wasn’t long before we had our quarry. We added many more birds to our trip list and we all retired to bed at Stephen’s Place happy little bunnies!

11th April

Wilbur drove us down to The Gap where after watching Bamboo Woodpecker we walked up the old road for a 2 km birding as we went. We watched a Red-headed Trogon and Blue Nuthatches before birding our way back down. After a delightful lunch in the Tearooms we returned to Stephen’s Place.

After lunch Wilbur, John and myself walked the Bishop’s Trail where we delighted in watching a very obliging Marbled Wren Babbler. A Malaysian Partridge also popped up on the trail. We joined several photographers as we added yet more birds to our list once we had reached the road.

In the evening I joined Wilbur, Ann and Andrew and together we had stunning views of Mountain Scops Owl at the bottom of the Bishop Trail steps.

12th April

We packed our bags and drove to The Gap and walked a couple of kilometres down the road. We admired several woodpeckers including Crimson-winged Woodpecker and Banded Woodpecker before walking back to the car and driving to Kuala Lumpur. We birded along a stream but failed to find Blue-banded Kingfisher. We did however have good views of Malaysian Cuckoo Hawk.

All too soon it was time for the drive to the airport for our flight home.

14th April

Back to reality today with a day at work at Titchwell. I am so jet-lagged but manage to keep my eyes open to the end of the day. It is so cold in the UK but my heart is warmed by a Red Kite flying over Sandringham land on my way home. I hope it survives the guns as it flies over a Royal shooting field.

I open some of the mountains of post that have arrived in my absence. I am amazed by another checklist awaiting for me for my next trip which I am really looking forward to but I cannot get my head around it yet as I have a trip report to write and hundreds of photos to sort as well as another grandchild arrival to look forward to. Agghhhh........I need more time!!!

15th April

I am still jet-lagged and waking up at some ridiculous time in the morning so an early-morning walk was in order on Roydon Common. I could hear a Blackcap singing as I approached the track. It was bitterly cold compared to the 34 degree heat of Borneo but the Skylarks were singing and the Lapwings were trying to fend off a very active stoat running from nest to nest. A Roe Deer ran ahead of me as I watched a pair of Stonechat. I was amazed to see a lady with a dog actually on a lead! The signage at the gate is now much better with dog owners knowing that they must now control their dogs for once. I walked back through the trees and watched the Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Robin singing before getting back to my car, having a chat to John ready to face the excitement of doing some chores for the day!

18th April

Still coughing and sputtering from some lurgy that I have picked up from work and with a horrible headache I decided some fresh air might be good for me so I ventured for a short walk on Roydon Common. I counted six Stonechat which is often the only bird of note that I see on my walks and so was surprised to see twelve Northern Wheatear too. Six of these were in the top field and six on the old model airfield area. I continued around the top field and was cursing at the lack of Ring Ouzel that I was hoping to see. However it was a glorious day and after being confined to home for the most of the day yesterday coughing, I was glad to be outdoors in the sun. I was suffering from lack of energy and so decided to walk no further and return home. A Red Kite flew over as did a Common Buzzard. I was then transfixed by the activities of a stoat causing mayhem amongst the nesting Lapwings as it ran from nest to nest. The Lapwings desperately tried to dive-bomb it to protect their eggs. I was nearly back to the wood when a what seemed like a large thrush flew over me. By instinct I knew it had to be a Ring Ouzel and just caught the grey in the wing as it turned and flew to a tree near the top field. I retraced my steps and waited patiently for it to drop to the ground which it eventually did. I cursed that I only had my bridge camera with me rather that my SLR.

By late afternoon although my throat was still sore I felt quite a lot better and decided to attend the Wensum Valley Bird Club meeting at Great Witchingham. Gary Prescott the 'Biking Birder' was giving the talk and he entertained us well on his exploits visiting all the RSPB and Wetland Trust reserves by bike followed by travelling in Peru raising valuable funds for  Birdlife International and Chaskwasi-Manu, the project in The Manu that supports indigenous children. The talk brought back many happy memories of various reserves and Peru. We were short of helpers for pouring out the teas and coffees and I volunteered to help, so sadly I didn't get chance to talk to Gary but since he would be at Titchwell sometime soon I knew I could thank him then.

19th April

With news that my daughter was in labour about to have her first baby I knew concentrating on a busy day working in the cafe at Titchwell was going to be taxing! It certainly was too for reasons that I won't go into here! However Jim came in with the news at the start of the day before  we opened of news of a Ring Ouzel in the field by the West Bank path and so most of the staff grabbed binoculars and we all went and looked at it. Thanks to Ray he had it all lined up for us in his scope! 

Gary Prescott came to say hello to me in the cafe at Titchwell and we chatted about our adventures and birding. It was good to see him again.

My evening was spent biting my nails waiting for news of my daughter.

Eventually after a gruelling labour my granddaughter Hannah June was born to Kathryn and Chris, a healthy 8lbs 4oz. Congratulations to them both and welcome little Hannah.

20th April

John and I picked up Stewart Betts and headed over to Potter Heigham Marshes where we joined Mike, Simon and Pete and after noting our first Willow Warbler of the year, together we enjoyed watching the Black-winged Stilt from the bank on the south side. Here we also saw 3 Garganey, 2 Greenshank, Dunlin and many Avocet. It was a glorious day and after enjoying a bite to eat we drove to Filby Broad where we saw at least 20 Arctic Tern and 10 Common Terns. A female Scaup was also on the broad as were a delightful pair of Great Crested Grebe.

We had an uneventful look around Great Yarmouth cemetery where the only migrants were Chiffchaff and a female Blackcap. We stopped on the way home to Stewart's and stopped at a farm pool where there were 2 Green Sandpiper and 2 Little Ringed Plovers.

I am now a grandmother to six grand-children and can't wait to see my new grandchild born last night. The last couple of years have been amazing and I am so proud of my family.

22nd April

Carrie and I met up with Trevor Girling before work this morning at Titchwell and walked to Fen Hide to admire Carrie's hard work at getting it decorated inside. It looks amazing. Trevor and I walked on towards Patsy's Pool where a Cuckoo flew over our heads. A visitor showed us an image on the back of his camera of a female Pied Flycatcher that he had seen on the West Bank path a few minutes earlier. We decided to go and look for it with no luck. I noticed a bird drop into the trees and was stunned when it was a male Pied Flycatcher. I showed it to Trevor and ran for my camera whilst Trevor kept an eye on it. I managed a few quick shots before it flew off.

Later in the day a visitor told us about a Firecrest in the Hawthorn bushes by my car in the staff car park.

23rd April

I am so excited as I wake up this morning as I am going to visit and stay with my new little granddaughter near Oxford. It will be the first time that will see her. I watched several Red Kites on my journey and several from my daughter's house.

I spent the day cuddling my new little granddaughter and looking after my daughter who has had rather a traumatic time giving birth. Hannah is just delightful and I enjoyed every minute of the cuddles! I have a wonderful family and count myself very lucky!

24th April

A day spent with my daughter and her husband looking after my new little granddaughter Hannah before travelling to North Leach to be with my son and his wife and my new twin grandsons. I saw several more Red Kites today as I travelled.

25th April

After spending the night with my son Jonathan and his wife Sarah and my twin grandsons, I took a countrified route back home to avoid all the traffic heading into Oxford which becomes rather snarled up in the morning. I had a delightful journey across the tops of the hills watching Red Kites. I am now way behind with my trip report on Borneo and still have hundreds of photos to process. However my family is very important to me and they come first! I have been delighted with my four new grandchildren and I'm sure they will be just as happy as my other two grandchildren.

27th April

I met up with John after work and together we watched 3 Great White Egret, 4 Spoonbill amongst the Shelduck, Mute Swan, Avocet at Holkham. We carried onto Wells where we saw a pair of Garganey from the Ice-cream track leading off from the A149. There were a few Brent Geese still lingering as well as many Mallard ducklings. Three Redshank were taking refuge from the strong winds as well as the Avocet present. We also took refuge in The Globe at Wells where we enjoyed a rather delicious meal!

I am still processing hundreds of photos that I took in Borneo and still have a trip report to write. I am hoping to get it done before my next big trip!

28th April

At lunchtime I took a walk down the West Bank path where I watched many Sandwich Terns on the Freshmarsh amongst over 200 Mediterranean Gulls. I met up with Dot and Steve who were getting excited about their forthcoming trip to Taiwan after John and I recommended our trip to Taiwan which we had thoroughly enjoyed. On the way back to the Visitor Centre I watched a Bearded Tit in the reedbed.

After work I walked the seabank at Burnham Overy failing to see the reported Purple Heron. I gather that most people spent the day here failing to see it or had a brief flight view only at 1pm. I watched several Spoonbill, Grey Heron and Little Egret feeding in the ditches as well as the usual bar-tailed Godwit, Redshank and Oystercatcher feeding out on the mud. It was good to have a couple of hours out in the fresh air as only birders will understand the need to be birding.

30th April

1st May

I drove to Norwich and joined many of the East of England RSPB staff for the annual regional conference . There were a series of talks about our various reserves and what has been achieved. We have an amazing team for saving nature and I was very proud to be part of a team that shows such passion for their work. The last talk of the day was given by a UEA professor which was quite thought provoking about where we should be headed not just as an organization but as a society and how we need to change. Ummmm.........

2nd May

Meeting up with Steve Rowland as I walked along the bank at Snettisham, we had not walked far before he spotted the Hoopoe flying into a Hawthorne bush. We watched it for a minute before it took off and flew to another bush where we failed to relocate it again.

5th May

11th May

I joined the other birders on a freezing morning standing at Muckleburgh Hill in the hope of seeing the Great Spotted Cuckoo. I had just missed the first showing and we all stood shivering watching Moss Taylor doing his rounds of the clump of vegetation and Sarah and Julian sitting in their car also waiting by the pill box. After a few hours I sent a text to Julian asking what he knew and he kindly rang me to say that the bird had flown along the beach to the east of the camp. We were now waiting in hope that the bird would return to its favourite clump of brambles. many birders left on hearing the news and I returned to my car to get another layer of clothing. I rejoined the birders and after a short while the Great Spotted Cuckoo returned giving good, albeit distant views.

Weybourne

I was just about to leave when a message came through on my phone about a Wryneck along at the radar station at Weyboune and so Phil and I walked along the coast to the back of the radar station where after being joined by several other birders we eventually saw the Wryneck on top of the concrete posts.