Rose-coloured Starling at Wells!

ROSE-COLOURED STARLING at Wells Quay, 8.58am by Penny Clarke

Wells Quay
I watched the sun rising as I drove to the coast and arrived at Wells Quay at 5am. There was only one birder there, who had arrived last night and was sensibly sitting in his car in the rain! I set up my scope a good distance from the feeders and waited. It rained and it continued to rain, heavily at times for quite a while. I had loads of waterproof covers over the camera on the tripod, so that at least was dry!

The Rose-coloured Starling flew from its roost tree and into the small tree with the feeders at 5.55am, fed for about 5 minutes and then flew back up the big tree again! I don't blame it, the weather was dire to say the least and that's where it stayed, until it flew out again at 6.50am for a short time. As people started to arrive, everyone behaved perfectly and were very courteous. No one stood in front of anyone, it was all very civil and generally quiet. The bird didn't show again until 8.20am where it appeared on the feeders and then three minutes later it went back in its tree! Its amazing how much time it spends in the small tree! I got some nice pictures of other birds, but not much good of the R.C.S as the light was too poor. There were spells of sunshine, but the starling was not showing in those spells!

At 8.40am someone spottted a Spoonbill sitting on the marsh which then flew east and also 2 Med. Gulls flew west. I counted 5 Little Egrets in a feeding frenzie with gulls in the channel and it was lovely to watch Common Terns fishing in the quay. I managed to take a video of the Rose-coloured Starling which is actually better than all my photos so far!

It was nice to meet some new people this morning including Barry Woodhouse who stood next to me with a friend of his for most of the time I stood there. Also nice to meet some other people who read my blog. Lots of regulars here including Eddie, M.A.G., Graham E., Dawn B., Steve W. and others!

At 10.30am I just had to go. I had stood here drenched for four and a half hours, mostly dried out now, but I was beyond desperate to visit the 'ladies' (you really wanted to know that!). If you are with someone else, they can look after your gear/spot while you go off. But if you are alone, once you've taken your stuff, you've lost you spot! So that was it! I was really cold aswell, it was great to get in the car and warm up.

West Track, Warham Greens
Had a ginger and marmelade sandwich with a coffee, which made me feel loads better. Walked along the track to the copse at the bottom and only found chaffinches and a great tit, very poor show.

Holt Lowes
Had my lunch and then a twenty minute power nap! I walked for what seemed like miles, in hope that the Roller might still be here. I scanned all the valleys and every distant tree. I sat and waited and went to the all the spots where it hung out, but sadly nothing. This is such a beautiful place though, even without the roller! I could hear a Woodlark singing, but couldn't see it. The ponies were grazing amongst rich grasses, mixed in with masses of yellow flag irises – it was a very tranquil scene and I was the only person here, well apart from a couple with two dogs distantly. I had a nice surprise of a Red Kite drifting south at 1.20pm. When I got back to the dragonfly pond I bumped into and passed three cheeky faces: Connor, Keiran and Robert! After chatting about rollers, starlings, owls, orchids and all kinds, I continued back to my car and had a second and final look in the clearing on the opposite side of the road and saw a Common Buzzard gliding through the black clouds.

Stopped in Holt to buy ginger cake and to look in a shoe shop for 'work' shoes, but didn't find any I liked. Bumped into Richard B. on route back to the car who was telling me all about his Scottish trip he has just returned from. The sun was now fully out and it felt loads warmer than this morning.

Walsey Hills NOA
Nothing of note at all.

Cley Coastguards
It was beautiful here with the sun shining and blue skies. Sandwich Terns streamed overhead with beaks full of sand eels, heading for Blakeney Point. Swallows feeding young, but little else. Cley didn't feel quite the same today, there was a distinct lack of birds and birders around, but then I suppose its that time of year now! I wonder if there will be any more June rares before we hit July?

I had a good snooze in the car before heading back to Wells.

Wells Quay
It was around 6.45pm when I arrived at the quay. It was a totally different scene from this morning. The garden was surrounded at all angles by birders and photographers and one man with a big lens had a massive flash which was going off and this definately disturbed the bird and was completely unnecessary in my opinion. Yes the bird did seem to be feeding happily with people at close proximity, but the flash was uncalled for. If only I had stood anywhere near that distance this morning, I would have more than probably got some decent pictures, but hey ho! It was nice to bump into and have a chinwag with LGRE and Joan whilst I was there. As Lee was saying, there seems to be alot of photographers with no binoculars nowadays – how things have changed!

Update: Someone sent me a message this evening: '.....the traffic warden turned up giving out parking tickets it was so funny, never seen so many birders run so fast.....' 

Very dramatic skies as I drove home. Watched 'The Voice' and was shocked that Leah McFall didn't win – her voice and range is off the scale and she will be a superstar anyway, even without winning.

PHOTOGRAPHS TO BE ADDED