Cley all day!

RBA: no sign of the Marsh Warbler on BP this morning!

After not waking up particularly early I arrived at Cley late morning and had a walk round Walsey Hills, which only produced a few common whitethroats and the usual blue/great tits, long tailed tits etc around the bird feeders.

Left here and went to Sarbury Hill (my Pied fly spot!) and all I got here was soaked! - it rained on and off all day.

Cley Visitor Centre for lunch: Jacket potato with cheese and coleslaw and nothing sweet! Met a very interesting couple with a very sweet 4 year old daughter who showed me her nature notebook with drawings in of birds she had done - pretty good for a 4-year old! They had come to England from Chicago for a wedding!!! It was their first time in England and although they thought the area was beautiful, the lady (Anne) could not understand why there were not more 'hawks' about - she said that 'back home' there would have been several birds of prey in the air in the same type of habitat.

Parked at Coastguards, now lashing down with rain, had a cup of tea and a snooze! Eventually got out of the car in between showers and walked to North Hide - on route saw at least 5 Wheatears on the fence wires and posts which was lovely. From North Hide 2 Little Stints, amongst dunlin, loads of cormorants with one spoonbill in the middle of them, 3 Yellow wagtails bounded over the far island, several ringed plover, avocets, redshanks, teal, black tailed godwits and one green sandpiper etc. On route back to the carpark I had a very interesting LBJ dive into the Yellow Horned Poppies amongst the shingle - I kept my eye on the spot where it had flown in to and as I approached the spot, nothing, nothing at all, disappeared with a puff of smoke!!!!! Don't you just hate that! Just got back to the car in time for the next downpour! Several sandwich terns going west along the sea.

Parked at Old Woman's Lane and walked to Dauke's Hide and this was the best part of the day, the sun was shining with blue skies and everything looked beautiful! Andy J. joined me in the hide and then, when the door opened again I expected someone like Eddie M. or Mark G. (the usual evening crowd) to walk in BUT instead a very glamorous blonde walked into the hide who was very interested in birds and whilst chatting to me said she loved birdwatching but her children got bored which made it very difficult - I think she really enjoyed her time this evening as she saw several really good birds including the following: one Hooded Crow at around 7.10pm flying across the marsh towards North Fallen Wood, 1 Common Sandpiper sitting directly in front of the nearest island looking stunning in the sunshine, 1 Barn Owl which flew right in front of the hide, 1 Sparrowhawk zoomed past and also later the same or different one sitting on the fence next to Bishop's Hide, 1 Hare directly in front of hide, 2 marsh harriers, 3 spoonbills flying towards East Bank, 3 Green Sandpipers, tons of Dunlin, massive flocks of starlings, redshanks, avocets, 1 Med. Gull 7.45pm (picked up by M.G. who walked in hide later), black tailed godwits, 1 heron and tons of gulls and a full moon set the scene.

Left the hardcore gull watchers in the hide and walked back to my car to have my final philadelphia cheese (loveleeeeey!) and stem ginger roll and a cup of tea and then drove home.