Warham Greens, Wells & Titchwell RSPB

Overlooking the freshmarsh, from the East Trail at Titchwell RSPB

After having a run of nights with almost no sleep because of nerve pain, I decided to escape for a while, before I lost the plot completely. The car has not had a good run for ages, which obviously has saved me a fortune, but its not good leaving a car sitting on a drive for so long.

First stop was my favourite car washing place, by the Four Winds Cafe along the A148, just before the B1454 turn off. I was shocked at the increase in price – the last time I came here it was £8.00, its now £12, they still did a good job, as they always do. The problem with having your car washed (not been washed for ages) is discovering how many people have backed into your car since your last car wash. Driver's front bumper's has a double white scrape with dark paint scuff, which is not going to T-cut out!!! Obviously done in a supermarket car park as until today, I have only been out birding twice since May!!! I need to start parking at the furthest point in the car park in future, so annoying.

My Skoda is 7 years old on 1st September, MOT, Tax and service being done mid August and I keep wondering what to do. I love my little green car and yes I know its only metal at the end of the day, but trying to decide if I should keep it until it dies or exchange for a newer car? I'm not buying brand new again, as need to save my pennies for new bricks. I would like an estate next time (petrol of course), can't afford to go electric yet, who can?! I have searched many times for a Skoda estate in my Rallye Green Metallic and its impossible to find one locally or within 50 miles – decisions, decisions! In fact Skoda estates are hard to come by in any colour and I was also told they are not making any more estate cars.

Headed to Warham Greens and parked up at the north end of Cockle Drove. It was hot, far too hot for me. I spoke to a couple who had seen the Hooded Crow in the field a short while before I arrived, but sadly I dipped. I spent a long time walking up and down the track, scanning the pig fields and buildings – wrong time of day to come here I realised, as I was looking straight into the sun. I failed and left. Saw a nice Wall butterfly though and lots of amusing squealing pigs!

Stopped for a short while at North Point Pools, Wells. The public footpath is so overgrown that you wouldn't know if you were treading in anything dodgy or not, luckily I didn't! No water on the west side at all and not that much on the east side either, certainly not in the area next to the fence, just lots of caked dry mud. Distantly I could see a good selection of birds, including Black-tailed Godwits, Black-headed Gulls, Lapwings, Greylags, Mallards, Shelduck, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper x 1, Spoonbill, Little Egret, Mute Swans, Marsh Harrier, Pied Wagtails, Swallows, Sand Martins and a Kestrel sitting on the muck heap at the entrance to the track on the east side.

Cruised along the coast to Titchwell RSPB. Its quite frightening how yellow and tinder dry everything looks – sadly through irresponsible people, there will more than probably be many more fires before the end of the Summer. It's so long since I drove along here, it was a nice drive, apart from one very stupid driver, who overtook a car before the brow of a hill just coming into Wells – I only knew this at the point where the driver was coming straight for me, I didn't even get time to beep my horn, a very near miss indeed!  Luckily he just squeezed through without colliding with me – he obviously needs to retake his test. After a string of pointless swear words, I eventually arrived in the car park at Titchwell RSPB. Had my egg and potato salad with a cup of tea in the coach turning area. Watched a juvenile Robin in the brambles, nothing else of note. Moved my car to the main car park.

I know it was the wrong time of the day to walk the East Trail, but that was the whole point, I would more than probably have it all to myself! The furthest point of the East Trail opened on 1st August and I wanted to walk that section, as not done this for ages. This trail is best walked first thing in the morning, so the sun is behind you. It felt so good to be out and it was cooler now. I have seriously been lacking exercise because of my awful sleep patterns, I need to walk lots of miles to catch up – this evening was a good start anyway. The RSPB have a wonderful new pond just behind the visitor centre. I didn't see anything of note up to the Fen Hide. The highlight of the entire trip was inside the hide!!! I popped in to see what was on the pool, a couple of Mallards and that was it – suddenly something scurried across the floor! It was so tiny, too small for a mouse and weaved in and out of the edge of the floor boards with its snuffling pointy nose and little brown eyes, searching for food – I then realised it was a Shrew! I can't remember the last time I saw one, what a treat and yes, it was very cute and very sweet to watch, made my day!

On Patsy's Pool there was a large selection of birds, mostly gulls and Coots. I have never seen so many Coots on here before, I should have counted them really, but limited with only my binoculars – also Mute Swans, Little Grebe, Moorhens, Mallards and Cormorants were taking up their roosting spots on the dead trees. I walked to the very end of the East Trail and sat on the seat overlooking the freshmarsh as the sun was setting and thought about my dear mother, who passed away four years ago tomorrow. Tons of gulls and other silhouetted waders in orange light – a beautiful scene. Found three Violet Ground Beetles crawling across the path and two very tiny baby toads. Took too many sunset pictures on my phone and retraced my steps back to the car park.

Scary looking dogs always unnerve me and I wasn't expecting anyone to be walking out to the reserve at 8.50pm, but just as I walked past the visitor centre a couple with two dogs (on leads thank goodness) attempted to walk past me with their Doberman and something else short, muscly and ferocious looking. The man was more in control of his dog, but the lady had a job to stop the Doberman from jumping up towards me. I don't think they expected to see me here at this time either. It could have been an entirely different story had they had not been on leads, so I was lucky.

I drove home via Hunstanton and cruised along the sea front – I was shocked at how many people were still around at 9.10pm! The clifftop was still full of parked cars, lots of people walking with their dogs along the cliff top. Beautiful cerise skies over The Wash. The Green had a good number of people walking around and Henry's fish n chip shop was full of people eating at the tables outside. The Arcades and Amusement centre still looked busy too. Goodness knows what it was like earlier in the day!

Pictures to be added