Photo Therapy! 'Lifers' at Crowle & Norfolk; Life & death sorted by the long walk at Spurn.

Reflecting upon what has probably been one of the toughest times of my life during which I have witnessed first hand my father battle and eventually loose his fight with dementia, I've come to realise the true therapeutic value of  having an absorbing hobby to turn to when the going gets just too much to bear. Support from family, friends and the various caring services has been crucial too of course during the past few months since I moved back home to help my long suffering mother cope and care with a once proud man who was challenging to the end.

All over now, bar the funeral - the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, especially for my mum. Looking back over my photographs for the period I was surprised that I found the time to take so many but maybe I needed that absorption, the space and time when nothing else matters except getting the right shot. I suppose you might call it photo-therapy!

A few days respite on the coast in Norfolk and Lincolnshire with good friends and fellow wildlife nuts was therapeutic too. I could and maybe should have stayed away longer but it was energising all the same and good for the soul.

Stifkey Marshes, Norfolk, 23/05/19

Burnham Overy, Norfolk, 24/05/19

Spoonbill, Holkham, 24/05/19

Birding highlights included my second UK lifer of the month, a pair of overflying Black Winged Stilts, 3 Turtle Doves, several Garganey ducks, Little Terns, Curlew Sandpiper, Whimbrel, a Turnstone in full summer plumage and several of the Spoonbills that are now breeding successfully in Norfolk - several good views of them flying over but never seemed to get the camera ready soon enough so had to make do with a long range shot from one of the hides at Holkham.

Mediterranean Gull, Titchwell, 25/05/19

Little Tern, Burnham Overy, 24/05/19

Summer plumaged Turnstone, Frampton Marshes, 25/05/19

Curlew Sandpiper, Frampton, 25/05/19

Garganey, Frampton Marshes, 26/05/19

Red Footed Falcon, Crowle, 01/05/19

 My second 'lifer' came earlier in the month after a tip off from my mate Mark - reports of 2 Red Footed Falcons on Crowle Moor, nr Thorne. It was a good opportunity for me touch base with me old mucker and Thorne / Crowle  Moors rarely disappoint so off I went 'a twitchin'. Not sure if I ever saw 2 together but we certainly got at least one Red Foot amongst many more Hobbies. No full on 'in your face' photo opps but some useful record shots of this regular invader from eastern europe.

Red Footed Falcon, Crowle, 01/05/19

 

Hobby, Crowle, 01/05/19

Hobby, Crowle, 01/05/19

Common Cranes, Crowle Moor, 01/05/19

The small breeding population of Common Cranes on the moor is not a secret anymore and I hope they do well this year. Whilst we were marvelling at the aerobatic feats of hawking falcons and trying to pick the Red Foots out from the Hobbies, a couple of Cranes drifted by some way off engaged in what looked like some kind of synchronised display flight.

 Crowle Moor, 01/05/19

Spurn Point, 26/04/19

 A day at Spurn Point on my own and a walk down the 3 mile peninsular and back has long been one of  my 'escape valves', a good way for me to clear my head, get to grips with myself and make decisions. Not a particularly good birding day but I didn't care - it was good head cleansing and more photo-therapy. Setting off in some dull and blinding mist of anxiety and a dark mood, I returned with optimism and mental fortitude refreshed.

Spurn Point, 26/04/19

Spurn Point, 26/04/19

 

Cirrus clouds at Spurn Point, 26/04/19

Linnet, Spurn Point, 26/04/19

Wheatear, Spurn Point, 26/04/19

Barn Swallow, Spurn Point, 26/04/19

I remember my dad bringing me to Spurn once (I must have been 14 or so) along with a couple of mates, all of us budding birdwatchers. He dropped us off and picked us all up a week later! We stayed in one of several self catering Nissan huts (since condemned and taken down) with minimal supervision apart from a nightly round up of bird sightings with the warden and the observatory regulars - it was a great adventure!

Typical of my dad to do that and as I reflect on the whole experience of his distress and merciful passing I remember a happier man, the one who allowed me to wander free and follow my passion from an early age. He bought me my first pair of binoculars and although not an enthusiast himself I know he appreciated the great outdoors in his younger days and always enjoyed telling me about different birds he'd seen coming and going from his garden - including what can only have been a young Bittern by the way he described it -  on the lake behind the house which he took a week to tell me about by which time it was long gone - took me ages to forgive him that one! So in his memory, both alive and kicking and now resting at peace, here's a final few from around York he might have taken a second look at ....

4 Spotted Chaser, Askham Bog, 23/06/19

Ragged Robin, Copmanthorpe, 23/06/19

Large Skipper, Askham Bog, 23/06/19

Bee Orchid, Copmanthorpe, 23/06/19

Pyramidal Orchid, Copmanthorpe, 23/06/19

Orange Tip Butterfly, Askham Bog, 04/05/19

Water Violet, Askham Bog, 04/05/19

Meadow Thistle, Askham Bog, 22/06/19

Singing Corn Bunting, Melbourne Ings, 24/06/19

Pochard, North Cave, 13/05/19

Field Scabious, LDV, 28/06/19

Banded Demoiselle, Askham Bog, 29/06/19

Jack Ward, 1938 - 2019. R.I.P Dad ☘

Norfolk Road trip pt3 - unspoilt Wheatfen, stunning Marsh Harriers and oriental deers

So here's the final part of my road trip to Norfolk.

With just a few days to spare in this most wonderful part of the world and after out forays on the coast. it was important not to try and do too much and end up spending more time driving than out in the field, so we decided to concentrate our efforts around a small but habitat rich area around Surlingham and the Yare Valley. We took in 3 reserves - Wheatfen, Rockland Broad and Strumpshaw Fen.

Wheatfen

First port of call was the delightfully unspoilt nature reserve that is Wheatfen. The famous Norfolk naturalist and broadcaster Ted Ellis lived near here, revered the place and its wildlife, and after his death in 1986 the Ted Ellis Trust was founded to preserve this area of outstanding beauty.

I'd picked this place out as a likely place for the elusive Swallowtail Butterfly but although 1 had been seen the day before, predictably they remained elusive!

Lots of Cuckoos, several Marsh Harriers, Reed & Sedge Warblers, Common Terns flying down the River Yare and common butterflies, and yet with 2 cameras and 2 pairs of eyes we somehow conspired not to capture much! Terrific place if you're a fenland purist though.

Common Blue, Wheatfen

Wheatfen

Just across the river Yare is RSPB reserve Strumpshaw Fen. Its bigger and higher profile but in my opinion not necessarily better than unspoilt Wheatfen. It does however have raised hides and crucially some nearby birds to point the lens at! Marsh Harriers breed in good numbers here as they do right across Norfolk and this was a pleasing series of shots of a passing male.

Male Marsh Harrier, Strumpshaw

Male Marsh Harrier, Strumpshaw

Male Marsh Harrier, Strumpshaw

Male Marsh Harrier, Strumpshaw



Male Marsh Harrier, Strumpshaw



Whinchat, Strumpshaw

Less obvious and something of a lucky sighting as I scanned across the lagoon was this Whinchat perched in the reeds. Fully expected it to be a Reed or Sedge Warbler ... goes to show its always worth scanning and checking every bird in such places!

Whinchat, Strumpshaw

Somewhat more 'showy' this Common Tern was one of several pairs on the reserve.

Common Tern, Strumpshaw

Rockland Broad is a fairly typical area of wet meadow / fenland but we didn't get much here ... good pub next to the nature reserve though and a free berth for the van in the car park!

Great Crested Grebe, Rockland Broad

 Not sure how common these are in Norfolk but this is the first Chinese Water Deer I've ever seen

Chinese Water Deer, Rockland Broad

 

 

 



Norfolk road trip pt2 - Dashing Hobbies, feisty Avocets and a new Bog!

Cley Marshes

I saw my first ever Avocets at Cley Marshes, back in the 1980s when they were still a relatively rare sight in the UK. Thrilled as I was to see these, at the time, exotic looking waders actually nesting on these shores, my strongest memories of that time were of the place itself. Along with Titchwell and Blakeney Point this stretch of Norfolk coastline, a watery land of reedbed, dune and shingle had a remote and timeless feel then that thankfully still persists today.

The Avocets are still there of course and in much bigger numbers, back in the late 70s a nesting Avocet in the UK was big news - now there are 1500 pairs and increasing still. Climate change has undoubtedly propelled this dainty wader northwards as a breeding bird but let's not forget the role played by the RSPB in creating and managing the habitat they like.

I say 'dainty' but Avocets are feisty too. We saw several 'mobbing' episodes during our time at Cley and nearly all of them involved Avocets!





Avocets, nest prospecting, Cley.


 

Avocets mobbing a Grey Heron, Cley

 

 

 



Avocet mobbing a Marsh Harrier

Both Marsh Harrier and Grey Heron will gladly pluck a young Avocet from the ground so the attacks are worthy ones, though sometimes the harried fights back and we almost had feathers flying at the end of this one!

We spent an evening and an early morning here ...thus avoiding having to pay Norfolk Wildlife Trust and a little protest to NWT about them being the only county that charges Wildlife Trust members for visiting their reserves (come on Norfolk ... get with the programme!)



Reed Bunting - lovely singing male, great early morning sunlight!
 

Every picture tells a story so they say, and I do believe that - there's a tale to be had behind just about every picture I take. As I mentioned last time though, with so many pictures taken between the two of us, in the main the raconteur in me will have to take a back seat to make this a digestible post! So here's a few Cley highlights. As you will see we were blessed with some good early morning and evening sunshine ......

Male Linnet - same gorgeous light and beautifully posed! 
 

Sedge Warbler - so many chattering in the reeds I would have gutted if I didn't get a half decent shot!



Reed Warbler - distant shot across one of the lagoons; just as many around but I was disappointed not to get a better shot.

 

Male Shoveller - caught in that 'golden light' evening sunshine



That's me probably photographing that Shoveller!

The viewing at Cley is second to none, several good hides and of course the boardwalks themselves often provide discreet photo opportunities.
 

Me again - taking advantage of another man's equipment and seeing what a Wood Sandpiper looks like through £1500 worth of telescope!

 

Sadly the Wood Sandpiper (best bird of the day!) flew off before anyone had a chance to photograph it but I did get a distant shot of some of the Little Stints that were also present from this hide. 

Grainy old zoom crop but enough to id them as Little Stints!

Very 'bird laden' this post I know but Cley is after all a mecca for birdwatchers and has been for decades and still is. The same tidal surge that hit Spurn Point and various other coastal spots on the east coast last December also did a fair amount of damage here, but nothing irreversible, its looking great and as wetland sites go this has to rank up there with the UK finest.

 

Here's the rest of the Cley pics ....

Black Headed Gull in tip top breeding condition!

Black Tailed Godwit

Grey Heron stalking something or other - out of one of the hides

Goldfinch in the last few rays of sunlight - never appreciated that pink bill before!!

Lapwing - the light was almost too bright to catch that lovely green/blue sheen on its wing feathers

 

A couple of Cley landscapes taken with the Samsung during a lovely 'golden light' moment during an evening stroll around the boardwalks. The first is looking back towards the delightful village of Cley itself.

 

 

Hobby, one of two circling above the beach at Cley

and here's my Cley finale ... walking along the coastal shingle that borders the reserve and a chance look up in the sky revealed not one but 2 Hobbies circling on high. All of a sudden one of them put back its wings and pelted hell for leather out to sea, the other one followed and although in a matter of seconds they were mere specks against the sea, we could clearly see them through binoculars harrying a smaller bird. There was a lot of swooping and twisting as they worked as a pair and whether they got their bird I don't know, they faded out of sight but it was certainly a moment!












Dersingham Bog

Just inland and a few miles south west of Cley we found a nice little heathland reserve called Dersingham Bog. Very close to the Sandringham estate, it was just a destination berth for the evening but it turned out to be a little gem of a place.













We had another Hobby here and heard a Nightjar churring briefly, in the drier areas there were several Stonechats, Tree Pipits and Cuckoo whilst in the boggier parts there were 4 Spotted Chaser dragonflies and many damselflies of both red and blue variety.

4 Spotted Chaser, Dersingham

Large Red Damselflies, Dersingham. One of Rob's and a smashing picture.

 

Male Stonechat with what appear to be colour rings on both legs.

Male Stonechat, Dersingham



Singing Tree Pipit

 
Dersingham Bog is a designated SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and managed by Natural England. It wasn't surprising to hear a Nightjar there - the site is of  national importance with currently around 20 churring males recorded there. There are also many scarce bog loving plants here including Round & Oblong leaved Sundew, Cranberry and Bog Myrtle. For more info click here, its a great little spot to visit if you're ever down there.