Sea-Watching Ends, well almost!

Got up late, needed to catch up on sleep. Caught up with blog posts, had lunch and then had a very lazy birding afternoon.

Sat on the shingle at Cley Coastguards watching a Common Scoter close in on the sea, a Great Crested Grebe flew west and lots of gulls going by. The weather was completely different to the last couple of days, it was hot, like really hot! The sea was so calm, it was almost like a mill pond! Bumped into Mark G. and we walked to North Hide where the sun was making all the birds look hazy, so not ideal for viewing. Mark counted 7 Little Stints, but I couldn't really make anything out through my Nikon ED50 in the heat haze. Continued walking to East Bank where we saw a Snow Bunting fly over our heads in the direction of Sea Pool and appeared to land on the shingle. It was such a beautiful day. Several Bearded Tits were pinging in the reed beds. At the end of the East Bank, Mark walked to the hides and I went on to Walsey Hills. There had to be something in there surely? Well there was, but nothing exciting enough to ring RBA with. A female Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff calling, party of Long-tailed Tits, Great and Blue Tits, Hedge Sparrows and 4 Rats having a party under the feeders!

I re-traced my steps back to the car and walked back along the East Bank as the sun was setting. A Little Egret was fishing at the end of the bank. Lots of gulls on the beach feeding on Starfish. Walking back along the shingle ridge was just magical, with views of the marshes, pools, Cley village and the waves crashing on the shingle, well what more could you ask for! A beautiful afternoon and beautiful sunset, as it always is at Cley.