June 9th to 12th in Norfolk
It was really a weekend of prep before we my wife and I painted our kitchen. I did manage to visit several locations, on the way up I called in at Titchwell RSPB and then in the early mornings, before 6.00am I visited Potter Heigham Marshes, Winterton Beach and Eccles Beaches. At the latter site this morning I opened the car door and was greeted by the song/call of a Quail.
Below are some pictures from the weekend.
There were plenty of leveretts in the fields near Choseley Barn
This Turtle Dove was in the car park at Titchwell RSPB reserve, he didn't look in the best of health.
There were Avocet chicks of varying ages, the parents have to be alert all the time as they loose most of their young to predators, be it harriers,gulls or even Otters.
This little fellow somehow managed to get him self trapped on the path to Parrinder Hide at Titchwell, the banks are almost 6ft high with no escape routes. I picked him up and followed by the parents I released it out of the hides windows.
It was immediately comforted by a pair of Avocets, wrong parents. The female attempted to brood it, not an easy thing to do considering they were in the water. The chick wanted his own mum who was flying and calling not to far away but not close enough for to hear the chick calling.
He became the the focus of attention to a group of none breeders, they were very curious but didn't harm him.
It was really a weekend of prep before we my wife and I painted our kitchen. I did manage to visit several locations, on the way up I called in at Titchwell RSPB and then in the early mornings, before 6.00am I visited Potter Heigham Marshes, Winterton Beach and Eccles Beaches. At the latter site this morning I opened the car door and was greeted by the song/call of a Quail.
Below are some pictures from the weekend.
There were plenty of leveretts in the fields near Choseley Barn
This Turtle Dove was in the car park at Titchwell RSPB reserve, he didn't look in the best of health.
There were Avocet chicks of varying ages, the parents have to be alert all the time as they loose most of their young to predators, be it harriers,gulls or even Otters.
Mum rushes in as a gull approaches to close
This little fellow somehow managed to get him self trapped on the path to Parrinder Hide at Titchwell, the banks are almost 6ft high with no escape routes. I picked him up and followed by the parents I released it out of the hides windows.
It was immediately comforted by a pair of Avocets, wrong parents. The female attempted to brood it, not an easy thing to do considering they were in the water. The chick wanted his own mum who was flying and calling not to far away but not close enough for to hear the chick calling.
He became the the focus of attention to a group of none breeders, they were very curious but didn't harm him.
Within a minute however the parents had heard him and dropped down, with dad chasing off these none breeders.
Black-headed Gulls are breeding on the roof of one of the hides.
Out on the fenced off island, the vegetation where the Mediterranean Gulls were breeding 3 weeks ago has grown up and they can't be seen. There were however at least 14 birds showing in this picture.
3 Little Gulls were present but distant
On leaving Titchwell I drove back up the Choseley Road , Corn Buntings sang from the wires and Swallows and House Martins were collecting mud, while a few Swifts screamed overhead
I then called in at Cley NWT reserve, this Redshank perched on a post right by the hide.
There was squabbling going on this Avocet (top picture) was standing on another bird.
While this drake Common Shelduck was chasing off the Avocets, not that they are a threat but this pair of Shelducks are were looking after 18 ducklings not all belonged to them. They must have chased off the parents of some.
On Saturday morning I went to see the 4 Black-winged Stilt chicks that had hatched on Thursday.
On the same pools were a Cattle Egret and Spoonbill, "very Algarve like".
On Sunday I popped down to Winterton North Dunes just in case the White-winged Black Tern that had turned up in the Little Tern colony would put in an appearance for little old me.
This morning before coming home I visited my local Little Tern colony.
The area the terns breed in is protected by an electrical fence that keeps out 4 legged predators but not feathered one's. Last year a Hobby took a liking to the taste of young terns, well he was probably taking them back to his brood, they had probably got sick of eating dragonflies.
This Sandwich Terns flew through, possibly heading for Blakeney Point
A lone Sanderling walked past while I was watching the terns
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