Excellent Birds, Banter & Sunday Lunch!

Sunday 1st September
Started the day watching three Montagu's Harriers, which was just fabulous. I just love my new Sat Nav – it took me to places in Norfolk I have never been to before!!! Murky weather initially, but the sun did break through eventually. Unfortunately though, there was no east in the wind today!

Next stop was Beeston Bump, Sheringham. The only sighting of the Red-backed Shrike today was by whoever saw it early morning. It wasn't seen for the rest of the day, as far as I know. I spent ages here searching for both the shrike and the Wryneck. Eddie and Simon R. turned up, also Simon C. was here, Paul L., Keiran and others. Fortunately, Eddie re-found the Wryneck at 12.15pm and my view of the bird was a bit of head and a bit of body skulking in the middle of a dense bush!! No pictures obtained, but great to see the bird, although briefly! Several whitethroats here, linnets, a couple of goldfinches, a blackbird and a greenfinch, but that was about it really.

Lunch with Simon R. and Eddie outside in the gardens at the Priory Maze Cafe which is just round the corner from Beeston Reegis. The pot of tea for three had to be carefully monitored. Eddie consumes tea, like there's no tomorrow. You'll attempt to pour your second cup to find that Eddie is finishing his third and you haven't quite got a full second cup! We all enjoyed our lunch tremendously – the food and service here is excellent. It really is a lovely setting aswell. Lots of banter and chit chat made it an entertaining and fun lunch! I was thinking about dessert when Simon kindly reminded me that I was dieting – yes I KNOW!!! Simon's lunch was a pre-celebratory lunch – he is 50 tomorrow and off celebrating with Eddie tonight etc etc! Happy Birthday Simon!

At this point I had intended on going to Cley, but for some crazy reason we all decided to nip (ha ha) down to Horsey to see the Rose-coloured Starling. I used my sat nav to see if I got there any quicker than Eddie and Simon – I didn't. As I neared the Nelson's Head Pub (near where you park for the RCS) I rang Eddie to see whereabouts they were and he declared that they were already there and waiting for me! We all walked down the main track to the dunes – memories of my first dip of the roller here, came flooding back. Ruddy Darter seen along the path. Paul W. was on top of the dunes snapping pictures of us – hope they are not going on BF Paul?! Paul also said he had just seen the 2 Sooty Shearwaters that had been seen at Hemsby. Two Wheatears on route. Anyway, we climbed up to the top of the high dunes and walked along to join Dave Holman who was sitting and patiently waiting for the Rose-coloured Starling to appear. It has been very elusive apparently and had been found sitting in a bramble bush earlier on, where it had been for at least an hour and no one had realised it was there! I re-traced my steps along the top of the dunes, leaving the others sitting down on the top of the dunes to watch below. Not too far along I scanned a bramble bush and there it was, sitting bold as brass in the middle! I was so excited at finding it, that I didn't take a picture – "it's here, it's here" I called to the others very excitedly!!! We only watched it for a few moments, when it suddenly dropped out of view into the bramble. I really, really wanted a good picture of this bird, so covered my hair with a scarf, slithered down the dunes slowly until I got almost to the bottom. The starling was still in the bramble and had not clocked me. Now, all I had to do was wait for the bird to come up again and I would have had a full frame picture – sounds so simple doesn't it? A swallow swooped low down and flushed the starling out of the bush!!! Bother!!! Off it went, further along the dunes, past the others and into a massive bush. I didn't move, as I thought it would return. Big mistake. As I sat, Eddie and Simon videoed the starling and not long after that, they left to scorch the possible Italian Sparrow at Northrepps, leaving Dave H. and I to try and find the bird again. I refused to leave until I had obtained some sort of picture, even if it was a brown smudge! Steve and Sue G. turned up and another birder. Between us all searching thoroughly, that starling did not reappear, so I didn't even get a smudge on the viewfinder, which was incredibly annoying. I won't be going back again, Horsey is a long way from home! At 6.30pm I trudged back to the car, which took about half an hour – long walk out there! Eddie and Simon didn't see the Sparrow, it had presumably gone to roost. It was a serious job to drive home, I felt so tired. When I pulled up in the drive, I was so exhausted, that I fell asleep for about 15 minutes, before hauling myself out of the car!

PICTURES TO BE ADDED