North Norfolk – a short Summer break 2011: July 24 – 28
A brief report of our recent visit to North Norfolk.
What a contrast between last week’s hot sticky weather and that which pervaded our visits to: Titchwell, Thornham, Cley and Kelling Heath, the previous week. Although we normally hit wall to wall sunshine with our summer visits to the area, this time the sunny days of 24 and 28 July, bracketed three days of grey skies and a cold Easterly blowing off the North Sea, that reminded us more of March than high-summer.
Sites visited:
RSPB Titchwell Marsh : 24/07.27/07 & 28/07/11
Notes: The Titchwell saltmarshes were relatively low on water (pic1), the Fen Hide pool was not visible from the hide on account of being over grown with reeds.
Thornham Marsh & NWT Holme: 26/07 & 28/07/11
NWT Cley (pic 3 & 4) : 25/07,26/07 & 28/07
Notes: Pat’s Pool at Cley was undergoing extensive earth works involving; Tractors and earth movers (pic 4).
As a consequence there appeared little point in our visiting the main hides.
Kelling Heath(pic 5) : 27/07
Note: There was a lot of activity on the heath from the visitors to the adjacent camp site.
Chosley Barns (pic2) : 28/07
After a good run down from North Staffordshire we arrived at RSPB Titchwell at noon on a sunny Sunday,just in time to catch two spoonbills on the saltmarsh, which was very low on water. These birds turned out to be a common sight for us, with as many as 18 at Cley all week, followed by a further two at NOA Holme on the day we returned ( 28/07).
Rarities were scarce though a number of sightings gave Tina and I great pleasure, including : a Montagu’s Harrier near Holme, a brief glimpse of a Darford (or so we thought) disturbed by cyclists on Kelling Heath; where definite sightings were a turtle dove and breeding stonechats. The common buzzards at Holme and Docking were also a surprise.
Pics