Tonight's Walk

So it was the usual walk with the dog on a lovely evening, after a day of staring at paperwork. First part of the walk is tedious as it's along the road which can sometimes be quite busy. Thankfully tonight only two cars.

but after a while a small track appears to the left and that's the cue for Teasel to go "off lead"

this track joins with another, which if taken one way will eventually join up with The Peddars Way (haven't been that far yet) or going back to the village.

 Wheat, Barley and Potatoes are current crops

 The track down to the Peddars Way

Coming back into the village with a dog full of sweethearts

 Now the trick here is to walk past ! I find if I don't take any money then it's easy.

All in all a couple of miles, a tired dog which did about six ! and an evening ahead of picking bits of vegetation out of the hound .

Today's star bird !

A Woodpigeon !

Evening Walk

Quick walk down to Titchwell this pm and how superb...  just six other people on the reserve and felt as if the whole place was my own - perhaps everyone else was watching the football - but just lovely. Highlights were a Little Gull, two Mediterranean Gulls, Spoonbill and Spotted Redshank. Some pics here:

 Avocets were all over the place including chicks and one parent by a nest right next to the path and bang in front of a bench. I don't fancy it's chances to rear this egg.

 others were flying about and generally making a nuisance of themselves

 or competing with their reflections for food

Flybys included this Spotted Redshank straight into the sun

 this male Shoveler with the sun behind me

 and two of some sixty or so Black-tailed Godwits

Black-headed Gulls were stepping out in their finery

 and Lapwings were just iridescent

Oystercatchers hammered the black and white theme

and in the reeds a Sedge Warbler

Then walk ended with a controversial group of five Red-crested Pochards and an evening group of Mute Swans - all in all a very pleasant couple of hours :)

Arrived back home in time to add Stock Dove through the kitchen window while cooking the evening meal. Happy days

A late post....

Moving house made for a somewhat disconnected few weeks. Now firmly established in Bircham (new title to blog of Bircham Bimblings, though the pentneyramblings address still applies) and all hard drives re installed. So a couple of walks below:

another walk at Burnham Overy Staithe ,early am to look for the Spectacled Warbler. I always prefer to walk from the harbour during the summer as there are more birds to see from the sea wall and the parking is far easier, taking care to watch for high tides of course. A beautifully still morning and reasonably quiet till this ghetto blaster started up.

looking down from the sea wall and an Oysetrcatcher was slinking off, but leaving it's tell tale prints

 and a Shelduck stodging through the mud

then down to the end and another encounter with the singing and nest building Spectacled Warbler. This time it was nearer the Gun Hill end and building a nest right next to the path. Luckily only a handful of people present and the bird had a routine. So settled in for an hour to watch and photograph it.

And muscling in on the act this Linnet

Second walk was over at Deepdale Marsh with lots of Little Egrets and an Avocet.

A few hours spent at Holme Marsh and some Marsh Harriers carrying food, into the light on this occassion so not very good pics. In fact I still haven't got a decent Marsh Harrier pic - must try harder next spring.

 A Cormorant overhead

and this Dragonfly in the reeds which I think is a Four-Spotted Chaser. I believe this is a territorial post that it uses to spy out females and drive off other males from, unless it's a female in which case it's just resting.

and finally a Heron wiffled in and rather ungainfully landed.

Early morning walk

A family morning out, all four of us, me Sam, Tom and the dog and a visit to Titchwell before the crowds. I was hoping for Bearded Tits to photograph, Tom and Sam were looking forward to the beach and the dog had no idea because it was a dog.

En route we went past Fring where I had recently seen a Grey Partridge frequenting a rather nice  garden by the side of the road. Each time I had been without a camera, so assumed that as I had my camera this time, it would be absent - But ! it wasn't (absent that is, it was present).

So on the Titchwell. We walked down the track and to the sea. A couple of Red-crested Pochards were on a distant pool, Avocets were courting all over the place and being generally aggressive to anything near them and two Spoonbills loafed around at the back of the reserve.
So to the sea and while Sam, Tom and dog went west I headed east. Little Egret was the first quarry:

Then it was some Bar-tailed Godwits

and Turnstones

Then looking back I could hear Tom who had found some crabs and was generally whizzing around in the surf.

more beach shots also featuring the hound from hell

 This dog (below) recently came second in the most appealing eyes section of the Deepdale Wildlife and Outdoor Festival - God knows what came third and fourth ! Teasel in full flight

 Trying to restore some degree of fluffiness

So we left the beech and returned before the hordes arrived - two reflective moments a Little Tom and a Little Egret.

 Sadly no time to wait for the Bearded Tits to start showing so had to content myself with some Black-headed Gulls feeding over the Marsh pools.

and back home in time for breakfast and a day's gardening - nice !