Gardening and Birding!

Snettisham Coastal Park

 

 

It was a beautiful sunny day and looking at the weather forecast for the next few days and beyond, probably the only day that I could cut my privet hedges. So reluctantly I didn't really have much choice, as I haven't cut the hedge even once this year, normally I would have cut it about three times by now – it takes a long time, as I use shears and obviously takes forever to sweep up. This didn't leave much time for birding and I also desperately needed some more bird food supplies.

Went to "Moulam & Horn" at Heacham and stocked up on all my usual bird feed: fat balls, no mess seed, finch seed, berry and mealworm fat squares and mealworms. I've had this crazy notion in my head over the last couple of days, that there might be a White's Thrush in the horse paddocks along Fenway at Heacham, no reason why not! So off I went to look and obviously I didn't find a White's Thrush and disappointingly virtually no birds at all. Even along the hedge lined track, which is a popular dog walking spot, I didn't see any birds other than a Robin.

Sedgeford Church

 

Stream alongside the church and vicarage at Sedgeford

 

Went to Sedgeford church and walked along the little path alongside the church, which is not somewhere I have been before – a really pretty little spot with a little bridge crossing a stream beyond the church. I couldn't find or hear the Yellow-browed Warblers, that have been seen here for the last few days – oh dear, not much luck today!

Panoramic shot of Snettisham Beach

 

After hearing that at an Osprey had been sighted at Ken Hill Woods, I drove to Snettisham in vague hoping of seeing it. Parked up at the Coastal Park and walked through the scrub and up onto the sea wall. The skies and light were beautiful, but the serenity was spoilt by barking dogs, including two black dogs that the owner was continously shouting at to come back, as they were chasing and flushing waders on the mudflats – its quite simply really, keep them on a lead if you can't keep them under control! I received a very helpful message to say the Osprey was flying along the inner sea wall and unbelievably I did pick it up as it was flying west distantly! My luck had changed, just a little bit!

Tonight and tomorrow's forecast is heavy rain and SW winds, switching to NW at midday with the rain easing off by about 4pm. Bring back the east winds! Wednesday 14th is the only day of east winds, according to the BBC weather!