4th September and a good point to launch my catch up as it was my birthday and I was due out for an early morning's birding with Tom Bedford. Our chosen destination was Burnham Overy Dunes, one of my favourite walks and a site that Tom hadn't been to before.
One of the great things about Norfolk is the autumn return of wild geese - Ha not today, a trifle early yes but we were "treated" to some big flocks of Greylags and another feral monster The Egyptian Goose.
On reaching the dunes we did manage a Wheatear but the hoped for Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers didn't materialise.
A defensive Devil's Coach Horse tried to stop us walking past and gave me the headache of macro photography - I should have focussed on it's jaws.
and the day ended as pleasantly as it began with a crepe tasting evening at home with some friends and my birthday "crepe maker"
A few days later and I found myself once again on the Turnham Overy Staithe walk to the dunes this time in the company of Oliver Reville. Again no migrants but with westerly winds that was hardly surprising so we contented ourselves with some straggly Reed Buntings
and when at the dunes looked back inland to the main creek which was dotted with white blobs - a few Little Egrets and a Spoonbill seen here
Our return walk provided us with a Migrant Hawker Dragonfly resting on some blackberries.
another outing a few days later and this Devil's Coach Horse was getting stuck into something tasty
and back at home while there were still no Tree Sparrows on the feeders, high above the house 5 Buzzards were having a good talon grapple - miles high with huge heat haze but at least it captures a bit of the action.
News of a Hoopoe at Brancaster Golf Club had me whizzing over for a quick look. The bird was present on the 17th hole.
The bird had apparently been around for nearly ten days and was very confiding to golfers if not to birders.
Slightly disappointed not to get some better pictures and a day later saw Oli and I on an early morning walk along the dunes, with a keen southerly breeze we were confident the Hoopoe, if still
present would be on the beach side of the golf course and allow for closer views (we'd also heard it was favouring that area in the mornings). Luckily it was and while the light was poor we did get much closer to it this time.
a large caterpiller for breakfast
and readying themselves for the long trip south an adult and young Swallow
so my hope is that I maintain the enthusiasm to keep the blog going, if only as a diary reminder for myself. I often start off full of good intentions and then general life just gets in the way - but as birding is part of general life than I will try to make sure it's included.
As ever I am concerned about image quality issues and compression on these sites and blogs, this series of images have been uploaded at a small size in order to speed things up for my first return to blogging for ages. As more techniques become revealed I hope the quality will improve - I'll be asking lots of question from many .... So let's see what October brings.
The bird had apparently been around for nearly ten days and was very confiding to golfers if not to birders.
