A near perfect day!!!

Spoonbills, Dauke's Hide, Cley NWT.

Cley – birds, people, memories and beautiful skies!
Well after going to bed at 1pm last night I decided not to bother getting up silly early. Also the predicted heavy rain didn't entice me to set the alarm early either!

As predicted - it was raining hard when I left Lynn and continued throughout most of the day. Arrived Cley Visitor Centre at 10am and joined Eddie M. for a pot of tea whilst watching the rain falling heavily. Whilst sitting there, we noticed the flock of Spoonbills land in front of Daukes' Hide!!! I departed and parked the car at the bottom of Old Women's Lane.

Green Sandpiper, Dauke's Hide, Cley NWT.

Daukes' Hide - 11am-4am
I got just as wet, putting on waterproof trousers and coats, than if I had just walked straight to the hides! There was only one lady in the hide - so it was nice and peaceful. I made the effort to set up the camera on the hide clamp and made a video of the 11 Spoonbills looking sorry for themselves in the rain including a juvenile who was calling - how sweet! My video was ruined though by a lady coming in the hide who sat next to me and talked in a raised tone! John F. joined me in the hide and was cracking spoonbill one-liners, one after the other - I won't state them all on here! A bit later on, a 12th Spoonbill joined the others. A single Snipe sat on the island furthest away on Simmonds - incidently the last snipe I saw from here was a 'Great Snipe'!!! Suddenly the hide filled with people, Ashley Saunders and Adrian Riley with a tour group - nice to see you both. Birds seen besides the majestic spoonbills: Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, 1 Whimbrel, 4 Common Terns and a Sandwich Tern on the island, avocets, redshanks, gulls etc. A lone Swallow sat burbling away on the barbed wire and 2 Sand Martins including an interesting juv, with a whitish throat which I took pictures of. Most people left the hide a bit later. I watched an adult Med Gull drop in on Simmonds and then relocate to the nearest island which was quite handy for the camera at 1.45pm! On my own I had the closest views ever of a green sandpiper right below the hide by the barbed wire fence and got some frame filling pictures. Took more pictures of the swallow in now torrential rain, but beautiful light and also some pictures of a rain drenched reed warbler on a short fence post in the ditch just below the hide. Mike (as in Mike and Jacky - don't know their surname!) sat in the hide for a while and then went (Happy Birthday for yesterday Jacky!). Eddie M. joined me a bit later on. Little ringed plover at the back of the islands along with a Little Gull. My only regret was that I wished I had bought my lunch into the hide as I did not want to leave! I was getting very hungry - hungry and on a diet is not ideal! Eddie pointed out a fly through Stock Dove.

Eddie and I were talking about a particular rare bird years ago and about 'Big Jake' a very well known twitcher - I remember him turning up at Holme for rare birds many times - his image of a long black trench coat, long hair and a beard are etched in my mind! I met him for the first time in about 30 years, two years ago at the Lesser Kestrel in Suffolk.

At 4pm I couldn't stand it any longer - I had to eat! Only lightly spitting with rain now. Ate my Philadelphia cheese and stem-ginger sandwich much too quickly back at the car!


Coastguards - North Scrape
Was just eating my cold tea of new potatoes, carrot and bulgar wheat something or other and salad when a red estate car pulled up next to me - the occupants.... a sleepy looking Pete and Graham who had obviously partied hard last night, as they hadn't surfaced until well after lunch!!!! Lucky they didn't miss anything good! Then John F. turned up and Eddie M.! The rain had now finally stopped. It was an unexpectedly beautiful, sunny evening. We all walked down to the North Hide to see more Spoonbills, 2 Common Sandpipers, cormorants, common and sandwich terns, black tailed godwits, avocets etc. The light was absolutely beautiful now and there was a mass of avocets all resting on the end of one island - it was a lovely scene. Juv. Marsh harriers floated around, scattering birds left, right and centre. Pete, Graham and John left. 2nd Summer Yellow leg Gull (ID'd by Eddie), 3 Spotted Redshanks on Billy's Wash, but I could only see 2. Bumped into M.G. on the way back to Coastguards who later saw some good birds from North Hide.

Arctic Skua, Dauke's Hide, Cley NWT

Daukes' Hide - 7.30pm
I am so glad I went back into this hide! Lovely to see Irene and Tim Loseby in the hide too - nice to see you! and hear all about the recent FIBO grand opening! A Yellow leg Gull sat on the scrape. A good number of gulls, but nowhere near as many as yesterday. Highlight of the day was most definately two Arctic Skuas chasing terns right in front of us (see pics) Awesome!!!! Eddie picked up a Hobby going west past North Hide at 7.50pm (supposed to call this Swarovski Hide - sorry!) Common Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper sat together on the nearest island! Some people in the hide spotted a fox on the edge of Pat's Pool! Several marsh harriers gliding round in the now beautiful sunlight. The clouds mirrored into the water just in front of the hide to make a perfect picture - a little egret landed in the clouds! Cormorants flew across us in the setting sun and martins skimmed over the water. Everyone left the hide simultaneously at 9.15pm. Glimpses of the sun edged against dramatic dark clouds set my camera off again walking back along the path! No sign of the water vole over the footbridge (again) - surprise, surprise!

It seemed to take forever to reach home - probably because I didn't want to go back!

One of the best day's photography I have had - tons of pictures to sort through!

MORE PICTURES TO BE ADDED