RED-BACKED SHRIKE
Walsey Hills NOA
Arrived in the Cley NWT Visitor Centre carpark at just after 7.30am. The light was dull and it was quite cold.
Walked to Bishop's Hide, just in case the Wilson's Phalarope decided to make a re-appearance! It didn't! Had a lovely chat with someone about the good old days, as you do! Can't remember the man's name now, but he was telling me my father was very good friends with Claude Appleton and how they both used to cycle from Sheringham (where my father lived at the time) to go birding at Cley. Also lots of stories about RAR too, fascinating and also about K.S! Anyway back to birding, 4 Golden Plover and 1 Grey Plover and also a Garganey that Eddie found when he arrived in the hide later on along with the usual gulls etc. The sun did break out mid morning and was a nice warm afternoon.
I walked to Walsey Hills and eventually got brief views of the Red-backed Shrike along with Eddie, Julian B. and others. A couple of Blackcaps were also feeding in the brambles. Walked back to the NWT Visitor Centre and sat outside alone, enjoying a cheese scone in the sunshine – lovely! That cheese scone was so scrumptious, I ordered a second one!!! To be fair, I have not had any cheese scones for months!
At Gramborough Hill Eddie pointed out two Hobbies almost above us at 12.15pm. Nothing in the bushes apart from a starling. The best thing about today was meeting James Mc.'s incredibly sweet little daughter, who was just fabulous to spend time with and hugely entertaining. James said he had heard that there was a Pied Flycatcher and a Redstart at Blakeney Point this morning.
Cley Coastguards – an hour's snooze in the car! Pete Snook and Graham arrived and we had lots of chat and banter! Graham told me that when he arrived early this morning, he had seen an Arctic Skua, 2 Red-throated Divers and several Gannets flying past. The general lack of birds did not inspire me to search hard today. I returned to Walsey Hills to have a second look at the shrike – there were quite a few birders here.
Went back to Gramborough Hill again and sat there for ages, waiting for something bright yellow to drop in. Eventually it did!!! A bright yellow Willow Warbler! One starling added to the list and that was it. A juv. Gannet sailed past east I spotted out of the corner of my eye, as I sat there on the hill.
Went back to the Red-backed Shrike for a third time and had the bird all to myself – and got some record shots in the evening sunshine. As I left a Cetti's Warbler burst into song. Spent the rest of the evening taking arty farty sunset shots with the wide angled lens along Beach Road.
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