Holme Reserves!

I have such a good selection of birds in my garden, I don't really need to leave King's Lynn! Song Thrush this morning along with my very tame female Blackbird, male Blackbird, lots of Starlings, Goldfinches feeding on the niger seed, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Robins, Hedge Sparrows, Collared Doves and a Wren making a nest.

Spent the day at Holme Reserves. North east winds, chilly but a beautiful sunny day. Cetti's Warbler singing by the 5-bar gate along The Firs road. Searched for the Ring Ouzels on the NWT Forestry and along the path to the wader pools, no luck at all. Didn't see any hirundines at all whilst out today. Didn't see any Wheatears or Stonechats either, in fact I saw very little indeed. The last hide along the wader pools produced several mating Black-headed Gulls, a Redshank, Avocets, Shelducks, Shovelers and lots of Brent Geese and Greylag Geese.

Lots of Avocets on the Broad Water. I had a lovely time sitting in the exact spot where my father used to sit, on the seat under the observatory window – no one else here, solitude. It was beautifully warm here, I closed my eyes and memories raced through my mind of happy days spent here since childhood. Half an hour later, I ambled back to the car. Saw a few Goldfinches and Linnets, nothing else of note.

Went to the family home and read the electric meter for the quarterly bill – oh dear! Cleaned all the bird ponds out and re-filled and watered all the plants in pots. I was hoping that Vivien and I wouldn't have to do any gardening before the house is sold, looks like we will be, being as we havn't had any satisfactory offers yet – we will wait patiently for the right offer!

Went to Holme Marsh Reserve NWT late evening. Nice walk, but no birds of note at all. Drove back via Hunstanton and saw a drake Mandarin Duck (as reported on Facebook by R.S) with Mallards on the grassy area (The Spinney) next to the bus station – bird of the day! I'm at work tomorrow.