25/05/2009

Time to sit in a Field

Monday May 25
But first....a diversion to Salthouse Heath on a warm and sunny morning. Lesser Whitethroats sang in the hedgerows, Willow Warblers warbled and a Chiffy chiffed and chaffed. Were we going to be unlucky? A change of layby,a brown bird flew into the dense hawthorn bush beside us and the Nightingale serenaded the morning. I sat spellbound and was very reluctant to leave it and drive off.
Great Ryburgh Raptor Watchpoint was remarkably sparsely populated, especially on a Bank Holiday, just eight of us at the most. I set up the seats whilst Pam brought the coffee things, ready for a long wait. Almost the first bird I scoped was a rather long-legged and small headed Buzzard high and distant over the wood. I tried to get Pam on to it with nothing to act as a pointer, just pale sky. A closer Buzzard flew left and I followed that one. Pam scoped both at the same time, stayed on the distant one and it wing clapped - a sure ID then. We stayed for a couple of hours enjoying fantastic Hobby hunting flights, I saw three in the air at once. We were soon joined by John and Jane Hopkins, John was in Uganda with us and lives twenty minutes away.It was good to chat and, even better when the warden, Bob, joined us. Apparently the Honeys are being seen better from Swanton Novers this year - there were over 50 birders there this morning. Bob is a mine of information.
Lunch parked in Sculthorpe Moor car park, a horde of people, including many children, put us off walking the reserve.
Just one call, at Gunton, on the way home where a female Grey Wagtail perched on a mill wire. Just one mopre bird for the Norfolk May 100.

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