Holme Reserves and Titchwell

Mallard Chick, Titchwell RSPB.

Arrived at Holme 7.20am. Beautiful sunshine all day.

My route today: from the observatory I walked round the back of the pines, onto the NWT Forestry, cut across to the village carpark, walked along the tarmac road and at the Hun Bridge walked east along the river footpath to Redwell Hide and then onto the pay hut and then back along the path behind the bungalows, then back and to the NWT Forestry again and back to NOA carpark for lunch and then to observatory. Walked behind obs. back to NOA carpark. Left here and went to Holme Marsh Reserve and then onto Titchwell RSPB.

Firs Road - at the 5-bar gate a whitethroat and a Cettis' Warbler was calling. On the NOA carpark my first Grasshopper Warbler of the year was 'reeling' away. A Cuckoo also called. At the observatory a Whimbrel flew east. Sophie and Jed told me I had just missed seeing 2 Turtle Doves sitting in the tree opposite obs. and a Grasshopper Warbler in the hand! Three Eiders were sitting on the sea and 2 Sandwich Terns also flew east. Several blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were also singing. 2 Marsh Harriers flying around Holme marsh. From the NOA carpark Hide a Spoonbill stood preening itself amongst the black headed gulls at 8.45am. Other birds seen in the forestry area: 2 Kestrel, 5 red legged partridge, several meadow pipits, goldfinches, 5 magpies, hedgesparrows, 2 shelduck, 2 Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Woodpigeons, 1 house martin west and also 2 Swallows. Grasshopper Warbler at 9.55 and 6 Wheatears in the flat grassy area, 6 more whitethroat, 6 linnets, 3 reed buntings, a Little Tern going east at 10.20am. A Greenshank flew overhead calling. A man walking along with just binoculars and a little dog stopped to kindly tell me there was a Nightingale singing away just behind Sandyridge bungalow and 'it had been there a couple of days' - I discovered later that this man was in fact David Gray (popstar)!!!! I knew he had a house in Holme but had never met him. I heard the Nightingale at 10.35am - wonderful to hear this singing - can't remember the last time I heard one in Holme. Another Cuckoo called and I counted another 7 Whitethroats. There were two more Grasshopper Warblers reeling together at the end of the path alongside the back of the bungalows, just opposite were the path goes down to link up with the village carpark.

David Gray (pop star) after telling me where the nightingale was!

Spoonbill from the NOA carpark hide.

Wheatear, NWT Forestry, Holme.

Hedge Sparrow, Holme.

Common Whitethroat, Holme-next-Sea.

Wheatears, Forestry, Holme NWT.

Walked along the road to the Hun Bridge and turned left and followed the river path to Redwell Hide. Along here I had 3 more whitethroats, chiffchaffs and a long tailed tit. A stoat was running along the path, but stopped to pose for my camera for a few seconds before scurrying off. Redwell Marsh - 12.20pm - Amongst all the noisy black headed gulls were 2 herring gulls, 1 black tailed godwit, 5 shelduck, 2 little grebes, 7 av0cets. Continued following the river path and just before the caravan I saw two holly blue butterflies. Photographed a Moorhen on a nest with 4 young! Crossed the road just before the payhut and went back along the path behind the bungalows to photograph the Grasshopper Warbler. Walking back again I luckily had 2 Turtle Doves flying east at 1.28pm (presumably the same 2 that Sophie and Jed had seen this morning). Back in the Forestry there were now 9 Wheatears. Butterflies seen here were a Small Copper, Red Admiral, Peacock and a Speckled Wood.

Grasshopper Warbler, Holme-next-Sea.

Moorhen and young, Holme-next-Sea.

Stoat along the river path, east of Redwell Hide, Holme.

Late lunch at 2.30pm on the NOA carpark and a snooze in the sunshine whilst listening to a Grasshopper Warbler reeling! The NWT carpark was packed solid which holidaymakers. Had a Ronalda's stem-ginger ice-cream at the Firs House and then went back to the observatory. On the broadwater there were 4 Pochard and 2 Avocets. Walked back along the pines to NOA carpark hide (note this is locked and only for NOA members with a key) at 4.30pm to see if the spoonbill was still there - it was along with 5 avocets, 2 redshanks, 2 marsh harriers, 1 ruff, canada geese, shoveler x 4, 1 brent goose, 3 pochard, 1 moorhen, 2 coot, 1 cormorant, 11 lapwing and a cuckoo. Left here 5.05pm.

Spoonbill, NOA carpark hide.

The NWT Firs House - where I was lived for the first year of my life!

Holme Marsh Reserve - Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral and Orange Tip butterflies along the path to the hides. Several sedge warblers singing and chiffchaffs. More whitethroats. From the last hide there were pairs of: Gadwall (one pair) Oystercatchers, Egyptian Geese and a single pink footed goose grazing! A pair of marsh harriers were 'sky dancing' 1 sparrowhawk went east, a kestrel west and a single goldfinch sitting on the yellow gorse.

View from Hide One, Holme Marsh Reserve NWT.

Pink footed Goose, Holme Marsh Reserve NWT.

Peacock Butterfly.

Red Admiral.

Titchwell RSPB - realising the Black Tern had been there most of the day I expected to see this, but was unlucky by a minutes! Male Blackcap in the alexanders right by the path managed to escape my camera. A Cuckoo flew east over the main path just before Island Hide. 13 baby mallards were zipping about all over the place and dangerously too far from mother! A Wood Sandpiper was on the scrape nearest to the main path by Parrinder Hide along with at least 8 lovely Yellow Wagtails! Also a few pied wags and one White Wagtail. Bittern booming from 7.45pm until 8.30pm! Ended the day with a Chinese Water deer who looked in a sorry state with a ragged ear and fur missing from back on the west side of the main path!

Common Sandpiper, from Parrinder Hide, Titchwell RSPB.

Chinese Water Deer, Titchwell RSPB.

Sunset, Cley-next-Sea.

Went to my parents to help father solve a computer problem and then drove back to King's Lynn and came to a standstill at the Dersingham Bypass (see my previous post).