Kelling Water Meadows and Cley

Black headed Gull, Cley-next-Sea

I didn't set the alarm this morning, needed to catch up on sleep. Straight north wind blowing today, but plenty of sunshine. Planned to go to Kelling Water Meadows in hope that the Citrine Wagtail had relocated!!! A quiet day really, but nice spending some time with my sister Vivien before she jet sets off to Cornwall and the Scillies and she's not even a birder!


Kelling Water Meadows

Arrived here at 11.30am and met my first of several blog readers today - nice to meet you all and thank you for your support! Richard M. had also just arrived in the carpark and joined me in walking along the track to the water meadows, until he diverted off left to continue on to Salthouse. I was hoping he would find something good as we walked along! It was certainly a beautiful day and the water meadows looked beautiful. Sedge warblers, whitethroats and blackcaps were singing in the hedgerows along with a couple of long tailed tits. A couple of canada geese were on the marsh along with several rooks and six linnets sitting on fence wires. Loads of hirundines skimming over the pool including sand martins, house martins and swallows. A pair of mute swans, moorhen, black headed gulls and shoveler were on the pool. Found three lovely Yellow Wagtails briefly on the muddy edges at 12.40pm. Climbed up the shingle bank to do a seawatch and as I did so, I found a common lizard. Sat on the shingle bank between 12.50pm and 1.30pm which produced a continuous stream of Sandwich terns all going west - I counted 70 at least in the time I was there - 1 cormorant flew east. All the herring gulls were flying west and the black headed gulls east, I noted! It was pretty nippy sitting here in the north wind, but the sunshine compensated for the fresh winds!

Kelling Water Meadows from the main track. (iphone)

Kelling Water Meadows, the main track (iphone).

Cley-next-Sea

Had a phone call from my youngest sister Vivien to ask where I was - Vivien was sitting in a cafe at Burnham Market. She continued her coastliner bus journey to Cley and I met her in the visitor centre at 2pm where we had lunch. Bumped into Craig Jones, an awesome photographer, who I met at the Birdfair last year, see his website here. Also bumped into a very jet lagged John F. just back from his hols! I did explain to Vivien that she would be birding this afternoon and lent her my Nikon 'car bins'! I noticed in the sightings book in the visitor centre that gargeney had been seen from Daukes' Hide an hour ago, so this was our next stop!

The pair of Gargeney were snoozing on the bank next to the ditch at 3.15pm. They suddenly woke up and I managed to get quite a nice picture, although it would have been better had they been swimming directly in front of the hide! The male then sloped off and was hidden from my camera behind reeds and also was too far away for my 300mm lens. 2 Bearded Tits then suddenly appeared on the reeds dead opposite the hide! Amongst the usual avocets, redshanks, teal, mallard, shoveler, etc were a few very nice black-tailed godwits, 2 little ringed plovers and 2 Ruff. We also met in Dauks' Hide, the CITRINE WAGTAIL finder Alan Wooten - he looked very happy, but then so would all of us if we had just found a Citrine Wagtail!!! I congratulated him on his fantastic find. Vivien was getting cold (she had not dressed for a north wind!) and I knew she was getting a bit bored, so we left. Back at the car we bumped into John Miller who was then going to the hide to photograph the gargeney - see his stunning photos on birdforum. I should have stayed! We then went to Coastguards carpark to meet up with Pete S. and walk along the path towards North Hide. A redshank was the only bird on the Eye pool. A few meadows pipits and a single Wheatear on the fence wires in front of the pool. On the marsh, east of the pool were 29 Golden Plover which was a wonderful sight. Also here were a few oystercatchers and 5 pink footed geese amongst the greylags. Lots of sandwich terns going west overhead. I could see a massive frenzie of seabirds all diving for fish in the not too far distance. I walked up to the sea edge where they were and spent a long time photographing black headed gulls, herring gulls and sandwich terns. Pete said they were probably Sand Eels they were catching. It was beautiful here and lovely spending time with Vivien and my very good friend Pete. I was quite pleased with some of my sandwich tern shots! We did not walk as far as north hide. Walked back to the car and had tea (sandwiches!).

Pair of Gargeney, Daukes Hide, Cley NWT.


Beared Tit, Daukes Hide, Cley NWT.

Moorhen, Daukes Hide, Cley NWT.

Coot, Daukes Hide, Cley NWT.

Gadwall, Daukes Hide, Cley NWT.

Black-tailed Godwit, Daukes Hide, Cley NWT.



Sandwich Tern, Cley-next-Sea.


Sandwich Tern with Sand Eel, Cley-next-Sea.

Terns and Gulls feeding on Sand Eels, Cley-next-Sea.

Black headed Gull, Cley-next-Sea


Great Black Backed Gull, Cley-next-Sea.

Pete then went home and Vivien and I went for a quick look round Walsey Hills which only produced the usual chaffinches, Cettis' Warbler singing, chiffchaffs and whitethroats. I went back to Daukes' Hide whilst Vivien had a snooze in the car to see if the Gargeney were showing any better. They were not - in fact they were even further away up the dyke at 7.15pm! Usual crowd in the hide: Eddie M. and Andy J.! Got some nice pics of a Black tailed Godwit fairly close to the hide. The two little ringed plovers were still showing too in the evening sunshine. 200+ Sandwich Terns made their way west over Arnolds' Marsh just before I left the hide at 7.15pm.

Took Vivien back to the train station in King's Lynn and arrived home late - again!!!

CRACKING WEEKEND!!!