Holkham Beach - Norfolk - England.

Carole and I took three of the Grandchildren out to Hunstanton in Norfolk yesterday. It was a very nice time. The kids had a good little runaround. We stopped later at Holkham beach and walked across the sand dunes. Lots of Oyster Catcher birds nesting.

Afterwards, we went to Wells Next the Sea and to the ice cream parlour. Got some seafood and made our way home to the Fenlands. A very pleasant day as the sun was out. It only started raining when we began our journey home.

The Baby Dunnock Chicks are Developing Well.

Dunnock Chicks in the Ceonosis Bush.

Checked the Dunnock chicks today and they are coming along very well. It will not be long before they fledge and leave the nest. In the meantime, I can't help keeping an eye on the distant crows and other types of carrion that are about. Especially the Jays. If they get sight of the nest they will clear it out.

I notice how the Dunnock parents always seem to land in the duck coop and skip about below the Ceonosis Bush before entering the nest from below. The little hedge sparrows (Dunnocks) are very secretive and careful. I've a strong suspicion and hope that the chicks will fledge. It can't be too many days now.

Reed Buntings and Reed Warblers Along the Fenland Riverbank.

As we walked along the river there was an abundance of reeds either side of the bank. The birds of the reed bed are tiny and rather difficult to spot. And when you do focus in on one, they seem to dart off as quick as they come. However, one knows of their presence because of the wonderful bird chatter up and down the waterway. You can hear where they are but it takes a time to spot them at distance. They are so well camouflaged as they cling to the long grass stems.

Their bird song is gorgeous and compelling. As I try to home in with my camera, the little creatures seem to get spooked and fly off further along the bank. I take multiple shots hoping for a clear one at distance. I'm using a Nikon D3100 with 70mm to 300mm lens. 

After sifting through the photo shots I get one decent photo of a Reed Bunting above and another of a Reed-warbler below. We always enjoy going for the long dog walk along the riverbank when the weather permits. 

Loving All the Garden Flowers.

Everything is taking off 'BIG TIME' in the garden. My wife and I had planned to go out, but when we sat on the decking for a while and drank our tea and coffee, we decided to stay put and enjoy the garden for the day. We had food and drink plus the constant coming and going of the various garden birds. 

Why not indeed? It is very pleasant and I have my laptop outside while writing this little blog. The water fountain and waterfall is trickling away wonderfully.

A Dog Walk by the Rickety Old Cottage.

The rickety cottage stands on the bank of the River Bedford. On the other side is a long dyke and beyond is a parallel river called the River Delph. This forms the flooded fen of Manea in the winter months. This time of the year when the summer is in its glory, the water recedes back into the Delph and cattle graze the once flooded fen.

We took our little dotty dog Dotty along for a good run. She shot off barking all excitedly at first and then got it out of her system and fell in ahead of us as we walked along the bridal path passed the rickety cottage and along the river listening to the warblers singing their little summer songs.

Amid the reed beds, there was an abundance of Thistles and Adder snakes. The snakes would uncoil and slither off as soon as they heard or felt our footsteps. We saw a number of different things and chatted about all sorts as we walked along. We went into one of the bird hides for about forty minutes and looked out for a while. Dotty was restless and so we decided to move on. I took a few photos of interest along the way.

Goldfinches Nesting in my Garden

I was sitting in the garden on Saturday, talking with my wife. It was a sunny day and I had just returned from Chatteris. We were on the decking soaking up the sun while all around the flowers were beginning to bloom. Our magnolia tree had all is fine pinkish flowers and many of the petals were beginning to drop to the lawn.

As the various birds were chirping my wife told me that was the sound of Goldfinches. She is always good at the various distinct sounds. Sure enough, she was right. Two of them. One male, one female and in the magnolia tree. 

Then to our delight, the female flew towards the top branches and there amid the little branch stems in the top of the tree was a snug little bird nest that she had built. It was swaying to and fro in the breeze.

Carole informed me that she had not realised they were nesting in the tree despite being aware of their presence for some days. We thought they might be nesting close by and using our garden for foraging purposes. After all, the Goldfinch is generally regarded as a garden bird and we always have the bird table full of seeds and other things to attract the various birds. Also, the duck house with the food trays attracts blackbirds and sparrows etc.

I managed to get my camera and tried to take some photo shots, but was also careful not to scare them off.

    

Oystercatchers and Chips Along Hunstanton Sea Front.

Although it is still winter, the weather does seem to be a little milder as we drift towards spring. My wife and I decided to go out for a drive to Hunstanton. It is about twenty miles from where we live. Perhaps a little more, but not much.

We went to the town centre, upon our arrival, for a cup of coffee and a scone. After this, we went to the bakery and bought a couple of pies for a dinner in the evening. We put our bought items back in the car and decided for a walk along the sea front. I had a bag of chips and the gulls and ducks zoomed in and around us. 

Carole made the mistake of feeding some chips to the ducks. To our surprise, the jealous gulls swooped and squawked about our heads, as though protesting. "Hey! Where are our chips?"

After a while, Carole tipped the remnant of uneaten chips on the pavement and the noisy gulls feasted. They were like a giant collective vacuum cleaner. The chips were gone in seconds.

We walked and chatted for some time. I saw some strange type of bird on the rocky beach and asked Carole if she knew what they were. I'm always trying to catch her out. However, she always seems to get them right.

"I think they might be Oystercatchers," she replied as though unsure.

I had never heard of such a bird and Carole did not seem too convincing. I thought I had come across one she had not seen. I would be proved wrong. I photographed one and when we got home and looked the bird up, sure enough, Carole was right - again.

The Kingfisher Gets His Dinner.

Carole and I were walking along the River Nene. We had decided upon an evening stroll to see if we could spot the barn owls. However, it was too early and there was a lot of daylight left. They come out nearer to dusk.

We did see many other types of bird. The whole place was alive with Goldfinches and they were chirping away in the trees and hedges. I saw a few on the telephone cables and snapped some with my camera. I also saw some Chaffinches. 

As we ambled along the canal bank by the house boats, Carole stopped me and said, "There!"

I looked at her and frowned. She was pointing ahead and added. "On the post by the houseboat - a Kingfisher."

As she said it, I made out the turquoise blue of the smashing little river bird. It was perched on a metal bank bannister pole by the moored houseboat. I focused in on the bird and began clicking away with the Nikon D3100. Some of the shots were not sharp enough, but there were a fair few that came out fine. 

After a while, it flew off but I managed to spot it again. It went on the house boat and dived into the water. It then emerged with a fish in its long rapier-like beak. I managed to get another group of shots as the creature went about shaking and banging the captured fish. Making it ready for consumption. 

Bird Watchers, Fed Up Owls and Marsh Harriers.

Well, I decided to wander over to the Manea bird hides today and test out my new Nikon zoom lens. I bought this in Salisbury shopping centre last week when Carole. We visited Salisbury Cathedral.

I found myself a nice bird hide and poured a cup of coffee and sat there waiting for something to happen. I was hoping the kingfisher might put in an appearance or the Marsh Harrier. There is also a Short Eared owl that I keep on seeing, though I’ve not managed to get any good photo shoots yet.

I was taking photos of the flooded fen and looking out across the plain through the binoculars. Then a commotion came from the waterfowl. They began to scatter in all directions, which is always a sure sign of the Marsh Harrier. Sure enough, it was so, but it was some distance. Even at the maximum 300m upon the lens giving me a 1.3 something magnification of just over 400m; I still had a job getting the right shots. I had all the multiple clicks for movement and the camera automatically focused upon the first touch. I began machine gun firing on the photo shots as the bird of prey passed by. I ran out of the back of the bird hide to see the magnificent raptor fly over the dyke and into the fields at the rear. Most of the shots were no good but some were credible enough to put on the blog. I’m sure that one day, I’ll get some better shots.

I came back into the bird hide and sat down. I poured out a coffee and continued to wait patiently. There were many varieties of waterfowl etc., but I only get a buzz out of the birds of prey. Also, the kingfisher is striking.

A man came through a joining door to the other bird hide next door. He was very friendly and asked if I had seen the Marsh Harrier go past. I told him I did and had gone out the back to try and get some more photo when the raptor passed over the dyke from the flood plain. He laughed and said he thought he heard someone clicking. He just had a telescope. I could not see any signs of a camera. He referred to me as a twitchier, which I presume is someone who likes to photograph as opposed to just bird watching. We had a fine conversation and chatted about the many raptors that are increasing in numbers around the Fens. We spoke of seeing them often along the motorways and concluded that it might be for the various road kill one finds on the verges. Also, EU laws concerning pesticides on rodents mean that raptors are not dying from eating poisoned vermin. Also, he said that farmers in the past had exterminated them. I don’t know how much of this is true, but he spoke at some length and told me of his joy concerning the increasing raptor population. He recommended an RSPB reserve at Frampton in Lincolnshire. It is not far from the Fens and he told me of a Peregrine Falcon that is resident there along with a number of Marsh Harriers. He also spoke of a Boot-Legged Eagle in Suffolk. I’m certain there is one in the Fenlands close to where Doddington Minor injuries Hospital is. We spoke on how they look like Common Buzzards but are bigger. He got out a book and showed me images of the Boot-Legged Eagle and now I’m even more convinced that we saw shut a raptor in the fields while emptying the bins of farms in the remote part of the Fenland. The man bade me farewell and went on his way.

Again I was looking through the binoculars hoping the Marsh Harrier might return. I watched the waterfowl knowing they would all fly off into panic at the first sight of the dreaded raptor. It did not happen. However, a second bird watcher came in. Another retired man perusing his hobby. He said hello and I did likewise. He also referred to me as a twitchier, and I replied that I was. He then went on to ask about various waterfowl by species names. I had to confess that I knew very little of these types of birds and went on to say that I’m more interested in the raptors because I like to try and photograph them for my Retro Brit blog.

He went on to tell me all about his bird watching and how he does it mostly on weekdays. As we spoke he was walking around the hide and looking through his binoculars. He told me he had seen the kingfisher up at the pump house further along the river. He was from Leicestershire and was staying at Huntington in Norfolk for three days. I spoke of the Marsh Harrier, which he realised was about because he had also noted the waterfowl panicking earlier on when walking along the bridal way. As I was telling him about the short-eared owl I had seen on a number of occasions, he replied.

“It’s out there upon the scarp.”

I frowned and looked to where he was pointing. Sure enough, it was there standing in the long grass looking out over the flooded fen. It must have been there for ages standing still. I probably dismissed it as a bit of dried grass amid the greenery. It looked like a distant mole hill to the naked eye, but when I looked through my binoculars it was the very owl I was speaking of.

“Blimey,” I replied. “It must have been sitting there for ages and I never even realised.”

The old bird watcher replied in his Midland accent that it was a pleasing find as I took my camera and started clicking away. After a time we began to ask ourselves if the owl would do anything. Like, fly off so I could get a couple of photos of it in flight. It would not. It just sat there with its head going from left to right. The raptor’s vision was sweeping across the flood plain, but that was all.

“I’m wondering if it has eaten its fill,” I said.

“Maybe,” replied the man.

I assumed it might be fed up. That is where we get the expression, ‘fed up’ from. When a bird of prey gorges itself, it gets stuffed up to its chest cavity and will not eat further. It needs to sit back and digest. Hence; fed up. I’m not saying the Short Eared Owl was fed up. Just that it might have been on account of it just sitting there and doing nothing but watch the water fowl. Another bird watcher like us for the time being. Sometimes the owl turned and starred directly at us, but did not seem too disturbed by our presence. This went on for about half an hour. I waited patiently hoping to photo the bird taking off in flight. It never happened. It started to groom itself and then seemed to go down a dip. Almost as though it went into a hidden hole. I know British owls don’t live in holes in the ground so I’m assuming it disappeared behind a mound. Out of sight soon out of mind.

 I said farewell to the Midland man and made my way back to the car pleased with some of the shots and content with the Marsh Harrier and Short Eared Owl. While driving home, I did see a low flying Common Buzzard but I had a car close behind and could not stop to take photos along the country road. I would have had to stop too abruptly with the car behind me. I turned left over a bridge and the car went on along the straight road. Once again I was alone in my car and spotted a lovely looking kestrel on the telephone cable. I stopped and got a few shots of this bird too.