Golden Oriole settled in nicely!

Stonechat, Snettisham Coastal Park.

I must admit I was pretty shocked but very pleased to hear the Golden Oriole was still at Snettisham Coastal Park this morning!

Of course it was glorious sunshine all day whilst I was at work and I was dreading missing something good! All those rain drenched migrants from yesterday popping out in the sunshine to feed - it was in my head constantly! I had also pre-packed the car with all birding gear - I just knew I would be going birding straight from work!

Arrived at Snettisham at about 5.30pm - quickly bolted down a cheese salad and then began my stroll through the Coastal Park. A beautiful sunny evening. Lovely views of a pair of bullfinches, chiffchaffs, loads of wheatears, martins skimming the skies, a Grasshopper Warbler reeling. A couple of Cuckoos and a wonderful Stonechat swaying on a bramble. Bumped into Sue Bryan who had seen a Pied Flycatcher (or was it!!!!!!) earlier and we walked together to search for the Golden Oriole - no one had seen it for about an hour. It was approximately a mile from the carpark - another birder re-found it again sitting distantly in an elder tree in the scrub in the valley adjacent to Ken Hill Wood - we viewed it from the concrete seawall. Its very difficult to name landmarks here - there isn't any really! I felt really lucky to be watching this bird for a second day, but sadly my quest to get frame filling pictures was not to be - I only saw the bird distantly. I was cross that I had messed up yesterday's pictures. My best shots (several of, which I won't be showing) are all faded and wishy washy - why you ask? because blondie here, had the camera on the wrong bl**dy setting - after I took the 'best' shots, I noticed I had turned the dial to 'M' when it should have been on 'AV'!!!!!!! Gutted!!!!!! No good crying about it now Penelope!!! Anyway Geoff and Pat who had been here a bit earlier looking for it and had returned to the carpark, came back again and luckily saw the bird before it disappeared out of view again. Also saw BF's Pete H. - nice to see you. I also bumped into an old Lynn News colleague called Pete who was with a friend - the friend said a friend (non-birder) of his (with me still?) had seen a White-spotted Bluethroat along the Castle Rising Road in early April!!!!!

I walked back alone via the inner sea bank - no more views of the Golden Oriole - it was cold now and the sun had disappeared. Went to my parents to deliver some shopping, cruised home. The car is seriously muddy now and its looks like its been banger racing - will I find time to wash it? not at the moment!!!!!!

OTHER BIRD NEWS TODAY
Citrine Wagtail at West Runton today and a Siberian Stonechat at Cromer were the other main highlights of the day along with lots of Whinchats, several Pied Flys, ring ouzels, yellow wags, tree pipits, redstarts, hobby, hooded crow, 2 White Storks remain at Acle.

From the NOA website: .........at least 40 Willow warblers, 25 Wheatears, 25 Yellow Wagtails and 5 Whinchats recorded, with 3 Redstarts, a Nightingale, a Turtle Dove and a male Pied Flycatcher also present.........