Stiffkey Campsite Wood, Fen and Cley NWT

ID PLEASE?

The bird on the wire looks like a kestrel and probably is, but its very long tailed! This was taken very distantly with 300mm lens.
It then flew off and appeared from behind some trees, but not totally sure if the bird in flight below this picture is the same bird or not? I have more pictures if needed.

I woke up at 4am - went back to sleep and ended up getting up late - again!

I wanted to do something different today and decided to go to Stiffkey. Beautiful sunny day, ESE winds.

Parked at Stiffkey Campsite carpark and had just poured myself a coffee when James McCallum kindly walked over and pointed out a Short eared Owl to me that was flying west distantly on the horizon - 1pm. I walked east through the campsite wood and followed the gorse lined path (signposted 'Stiffkey Greens') all the way to Stiffkey Fen. There were lots of silly people in teashirts and shorts - they must have been freezing and putting on a front as the east wind was pretty nippy! In the wood I saw nothing but woodpigeons and chaffinches. Apart from brent geese in good numbers, black headed gulls, shelduck and the odd skylark I saw nothing all the way up to the Fen! The highlight of the walk was a green shieldbug on the yellow gorse. On reaching Stiffkey Fen things livened up considerably. I sat on the bank and attempted to scope with my ED50 as I had not bought the tripod! There were loads of black-tailed godwits, avocets, black headed gulls, redshanks, teal, shelduck, shoveler, greylags. There were no hirundines at all, no wheatears, no stonechats and no little gulls which is what I had hoped to possibly see. I hate walking back the same way, so decided to walk along the bottom path past the fen and the pond on the right, to the bridge on the main road and walk back along the road. Along this path I could hear a Chiffchaff and a Cettis' Warbler singing and also saw my first Orange Tip butterfly this year. A kestrel distantly on a wire got me excited for a moment - it could have been a Red-footed Falcon! (see pictures above) When I reached the bridge and crossed the road to follow the footpath adjacent to the road I also had my first Speckled Wood of the year and heard a Blackcap singing. When I realised how much traffic was on the main road and motorbikes flying past I changed my mind and nipped (smiley face) down a path I probably shouldn't have done and re-joined the 'Stiffkey Greens' path back to the Campsite carpark. No other birds were seen on route back. Collapsed in the car - had the rest of my sandwiches and a cup of coffee. There were several greenfinches and goldfinches sitting in the trees next to the campsite and also watched a wren eating a caterpillar. I then decided to have one of my afternoon siesta's! Half an hour later I left here, feeling fed-up with the lack of birds. Decisions, decisions, shall I go to Cley...... its only up the road, or shall I go home? Cley it is then! On route stopped at the 'House on the Hill', but only saw greenfinches sitting on the telegraph wires.

Sycamore tree, Stiffkey Campsite Wood.

The above two pictures taken with iphone.

Stiffkey Campsite Wood.


Path through Stiffkey Greens.

Speckled Wood, Stiffkey Fen.

Orange Tip Butterfly, Stiffkey Fen.

Arty farty pictures next to the bridge at Stiffkey Fen.

Cley-next-Sea NWT Reserve - Daukes Hide

Parked at the bottom of Old Woman's Lane. Just before I got out of the car a male Marsh Harrier flew over my car carrying a very big fish!!!!! I have never seen this before! Pity it wasn't an Osprey! It headed towards the hides. Annoyingly I didn't get the camera out of the car quick enough - it would have been a fabulous picture! What the fish was or where the marsh harrier had got it from I don't know!

I really wish I had gone to Cley earlier as I more excitement this evening than I had the rest of the day! On route to Daukes' Hide at 7pm I watched loads of hirundines: Swallows, Sand Martins and my first House Martins all skimming over the pools on the marsh - what a wonderful sight! It was freezing cold though and when I got in the hide another birder was sat at the far left end of the hide as he said it was too cold to sit in the middle - how right he was, you needed a wool hat and gloves sitting there - the east wind cut right through you! Shortly after the other birder left I moved over to his seat! Usual birds on the scrapes including shelduck, teal, shoveler, avocets, black-tailed godwits, redshanks, lapwings, coots, gulls, marsh harriers etc etc. As I walked back along the boarded path I heard my first Sedge Warbler of the year.

Shelduck, Dawkes' Hide, Cley NWT.

Avocet, Dawkes' Hide, Cley NWT.

Drove back via Holt and found a Barn Owl sitting on a big oak tree! Nice end to the day.

On reaching home I discovered a nice little message on RBA - 2 Little Gulls on Stiffkey Fen this evening - how annoying is that!