Holme NWT

Spent half the morning creating a Mother's Day Card.

A warm, sunny/cloudy day with quite blustery SW winds.

Arrived at Holme Reserves late morning and parked by the 5-bar gate and walked around the NWT Forestry area and Gore Point. My first Swallows of the year appeared, two going west and another two later on. Cettis Warbler singing in the bushes by the carpark and Chiffchaffs in good numbers. My first Willow Warbler seen and heard in the middle of the Forestry, in the big sallow by the pond. There were several chiffchaffs and hedge sparrows about and also several flocks of chaffinches, goldfinches and meadow pipits going over. Lots of bees noted today also. No sign of any wheatears in the favoured flat area of grass. In the distance lots of birds had been disturbed over the 'Saltings' which is the marsh/pool area opposite the pay hut - when I looked through my bins I could see a group of people with about 5 black labradors, one of which had bounded all the way across the Saltings, disturbing everything.

Had an unusual 'chat', which at first I thought Whinchat, but closer inspection revealed a Stonechat. I then bumped into Robin Joliffe and his wife who had thought exactly the same thing! I managed to get a picture, which I will post tomorrow. Robin also then told me that 'about quarter of an hour ago he had had an Osprey* over the Saltings at around 1.30pm that put all the birds up!!!!!!!!!!!! It had flown back out to sea. If only I had looked around the skies a bit more, rather than presuming that one dog had put up so many birds - gutted!!!!!! I carried on walking on the top path back towards the car and turned to someone shouting - Robin pointed towards me and directly in front of me at eye level was a cracking male Ring Ouzel bounding past! 2pm - it landed in a sea buckthorn bush right by my car, but sadly it had vanished by the time I got there with camera! Walked to the Hun Bridge by the pay hut and watched several chiffchaffs flitting about. Walked back to car and another birder pointed out a Marsh Harrier sitting in the field the other of the river.

Stonechat, Holme NWT Reserve.

Drove to King's Lynn to pick my sisters up and dropped them at Holme. My sisters and parents sat in the garden in the sunshine and we realised that this must be the earliest date that we could recall, all of us sitting in the garden so early in the year! Father was busy sorting out some new moth pots he had ordered.

Flowers in my parent's greenhouse.

Wallflowers in my parent's garden.

I escaped for a while and went for a walk along the public footpath through Jameson's wood just past the Farm Shop at Thornham. This produced very little, only a few blackbirds, green woodpecker, chaffinches and a party of long tailed tits.

Photographed Coltsfoot along a back road near Old Hunstanton that mother had told me about and then went to Hunstanton Lighthouse in hope that the Alpine Swift that someone had seen at Cley today had reached us here in West Norfolk! Gave up on this and photographed Fulmars gliding over the tops of the cliffs and then went to collect fish 'n' chips for the family and went back to Holme. Didn't feel very well during the evening at all, early night beckons.

Please note: link from the NARVOS Website said that someone had seen an Osprey at Pentney Lake at 1pm today.

Coltsfoot, Old Hunstanton.

Fulmar - Hunstanton Cliffs.

Sunset from Hunstanton Cliffs.