Common Tern fishing on the west side of the main bankat Titchwell RSPB.
No I didn't see it - but it was my own fault, so I mustn't complain! I left work later than usual and whilst there I had a text from someone to say there was a Gull-billed Tern at Choseley!!!! Now the normal thing to do at that point is to leave work and grab camera and bins and GO! But I decided to do as I had planned and do the Tescos run before going - how STUPID was that!!!!! My reasoning behind it at the time was, that it was now a sunny evening, so plenty of time, it would make me finish the boring food shopping quicker and yes it did - I flew round Tescos in record time and whilst unpacking the shopping, put two pieces of toast in toaster and ate vegemite on toast whilst driving to Choseley! On reaching Choseley - there was no birders at all. I found out later that the bird was not in the Choseley Barns road as I had thought, but a minor road to Choseley in Thornham village. Phoned RBA as it was now getting on for 7.40pm and there had been no news added since 6.30pm. At this point I was wishing I hadn't come out at all. Phoned a couple of people including Connor who was standing on the main bank at Titchwell and also dipped out. I drove to Titchwell and wandered along the bank in hope along with James Hanlon. My highlight of the evening was the sun setting and a Short eared Owl. The tide was so high this evening, that a lot of the marsh on the west side of the bank was flooded and common terns were catching fish from here whilst the sun was setting - beautiful!
As I said in one of my posts about the Great Snipe - 'early bird catches the worm' and this evening I was much too chilled about it all, which serves me right!
Ashley Banwell has some wonderful pictures on Surfbirds.
Maybe, just maybe it will stay tomorrow!
Titchwell RSPB.
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Bad luck West Norfolk birders on the GB Tern. There will be another one.
ReplyDeleteThe November 2001 Titchwell GB tern the only one to stay on in recent years in Norfolk.
As for the great snipe I had fleeting views of it on the 16th - the only day this week I think you could twitch it. Barely worth being called my second grat snipe in Norfolk. If only to have seen that bird displaying!