Zucchini Cake & Spring Migrants At Cley NWT!

Watching a Little Ringed Plover from Daukes' Hide, Cley NWT

I had a lovely birding trip out to Cley today! Lunch at the Cley Visitor Centre NWT, which included a jacket potato lunch, followed by a treat of Zucchini Cake with pot of tea! Met two lovely lady birders from Colchester, who introduced themselves to me as readers of my blog – we chatted about all kinds of things, including the state of the NHS (one of them worked in a hospital), the best places in Norfolk for cream teas and cakes in general!

Still very windy today, but not quite as bad as the atrocious weather yesterday. Met up with Pete S. at Coastguards and had very distant views of the male Wheatear in the Eye Field, my first of the Spring, which was nice, but it was a dot in the scope, so no hope whatsoever of any pictures. Bumped into Richard (usually with Ian B. and Chris S.). Also saw 11 Eurasian White-fronted Geese, 3 Barnacle Geese (of unknown origin), lots of Brent Geese, 2 Goosanders flying west over the sea, Marsh Harrier, Pied Wagtail by the Eye pool, Lapwings and Skylarks singing. Pete left to go elsewhere and I headed to Salthouse.

Parked up at Beach Road and had an exhilarating walk to Gramborough Hill. A couple of Redshanks erupted from the pool just before the hill, but nothing else of note. It was very windy on the top of the hill! Ambled back to the car. I'm becoming increasingly clumsy lately – as I got back in the car, the wind pushed the car door onto my forehead (opposite side of where I fell a few weeks back!). It was an 'ouch' moment, but nothing serious. I still have my hand support/splint on and my left lateral side of my foot is still very tender, even though I can walk ok – if I was to twist that foot even slightly it would sprain again. I'm hoping my physio appointment on 25th will be the beginning of strengthening my foot and wrist.

Parked at the bottom of Old Woman's Lane in Cley and walked out to Daukes' Hide NWT and had the hide to myself! After a tip off from Steve G. who I passed leaving, on my way out to the hides, I eventually found the Little Ringed Plover at the back of Simmond's Scrape and a Spoonbill flew across west. The light was beautiful as it always is here on a sunny afternoon. A nice selection of birds here including: Teal, Shovelers, Shelducks, Tufted Ducks, Mallards, Redshanks, Avocets, Coot, Black-headed Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls, Marsh Harrier, Lapwings & Oystercatchers.

Returned to Coastguards again in hope of seeing the Wheatear a little closer, no luck with that at all. Watched the sun setting and then cruised home to King's Lynn.