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Saturday 30 July 2011

Holme, Titchwell and Cley and a wow moment at dusk!

After a manic, heavy day at work on Friday, I needed a lie in this morning and woke up around 8am. It was a good start to the day as had to go into town to buy a smaller pair of trousers!!! My 'larger' khaki trousers that I bought a few weeks are now far too big and make me look like an old tramp! My WW diet is successful this time round and have now lost 10lbs so far...... although still quite a way to go yet!!! Those typical words from other people 'you can't be what you used to be now you are older'......are absolute rubbish, of course you can - its just an excuse. Just because you are 'older' there is no reason if you are focussed, why you can't shed the pounds. I have not had a bar of chocolate for weeks now and to be honest, I have not really missed it. My diet has only been broken with a single cheese scone (honest), half a piece of coffee sandwich - two stem ginger ice-creams and well..... yes I did eat out twice last weekend, but think I have got away with it! Anyway I got out of town pretty quickly really, but then annoyingly hit the beach traffic heading towards Hunstanton, as I made my way to Holme to visit and deliver shopping to my parents. Mother mentioned that she has had humming bird hawkmoths almost daily again - although I never seem to be there at the right time! I photographed a Popular Hawkmoth that father had caught in the moth trap this morning.


Holme Bird Observatory


Saw a 'Wall' butterfly at the top of the steps to the main bank to obs. On the buddleia at the obs there was a good selection of butterflies including Red Admiral, Peacock and Gatekeeper.

David and Ray Roche were manning the Obs. for the day and David very kindly pointed out a Southern Hawker that also luckily landed on a pine branch to allow us to take some nice photographs! A crossbill was also calling.


Titchwell RSPB

Met up with Eddie at Titchwell and from Parrinder Hide saw a Greenshank, juv. Med Gull, several juv. little ringed plovers right in front of the hide, a Yellow Wagtail along with Pied Wags amongst the usual waders, oh and a couple of Common Sandpipers.


Wareham Greens


A phone call from John F. to Eddie took us to Wareham Greens to watch and photograph two large Hoverfly species on the brambles.


Cley - Dauke's Hide 7.30pm - a magical evening!


With Eddie M., M.G, R.M. and others. A good selection of birds this evening and a VERY, VERY exciting end to the evening! juv little gull, first sum. little gull, 3 greenshank, 1 Yellow leg Gull, 2 juv. Marsh Harriers, Arctic Tern, 3 green sandpipers. A Hobby sped through along the shingle at 7.45pm. An Arctic Skua also along the shingle west at 8.35pm. Several Ruff, black tailed godwits, avocets, redshanks, loads of gulls, cormorants, common and sandwich terns etc. Two herons were fishing in the dyke to the right hand side of the hide. Suddenly I spotted a dark furry blob in the water by the herons in the now semi dusk at 9.10pm - the 'blob' had an eye and my first thoughts were water vole.... then I realised there was a middle section and then a tail - OMG it was an OTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I said something like 'don't breathe........' and directed everyone's attention to where it was. Couldn't believe it - WOW!!! Obviously I didn't get a picture in this light, although I would have achieved some kind of image if I had put the focus onto manual - my attempted picture was on autofocus and is a selection of dark and mid blue lines!!! Didn't have time to think about what settings the camera was on. We realised the otter had more than probably swam around to Teal Hide - several of us tip toed at speed round to the hide and opened the flaps incredibly slowly, but our brief, but magical sighting was all we were going to see!

PHOTOGRAPHS TO BE ADDED

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