Low Tide and Surprises

Thursday October 1
Lovely to be out birding again. The first time since September 14 and the special on the 15th - too busy Moth-ing with a weekend in Manchester for the fantastic Man U /Man City derby game.
Left home at 6.10 a.m and returned at 5.00 p.m.
A day of misses including Great Tit, with a last gasp Rook just before home. Abbey Farm was almost devoid of water and -apart from 50+ Mallard - birds. Snettisham had a cold northerly wind, we were pleased to find the glass replaced in the first hide. The tide was at its lowest, thousands of birds too distant to identify but enough scattered more closely to count the usual suspects. The highlight was several returning Pintail.
Gore Point's warm sunshine made viewing pleasant, 14 Pinkfeet in off the sea our first of the Autumn. They joined a flock of a hundred or so grazing on the marshes. Three Buzzards being hassled by Corvids viewed from the Broadwater Hide, a couple of Pochard ,three Little Grebes and a few Tufted Ducks.
Holkham had hundreds of Pinks, we welcomed them back for the winter, Pam loves them.
Drove Orchards had my first Spartan apples, they have a short season, cobnuts and wet walnuts to keep me happy before a late lunch at Brancaster Staithe. Titchwell was still largely devoid of eater on the freshmarsh. the new seawall now 3.7 metres high (notice outside the shop). The biggest surprise was a flock of 20+ Snow Bunting, containing at least six males, landing on the mud in front of Island hide to bathe in a small puddle.
Gunton Hall fishing lake was covered in a noxious looking slime, no wonder there weren't any G C Grebes!
Just 82 species for to-day's total, not up to the previous few months but we were pleased with a very enjoyable day.