Birding with Bridget and Aileen

Monday November 2
What a change from yesterday. Sunny, bright and dry. Parts of Scotland are badly flooded, the river at Huntly burst its banks, we got off lightly. Could have done without the outing... it's our coffee morning on Wednesday, lunch with the girls and John followed by my last eye injection at the hospital to-morrow and....... a letter from EDF saying that the electricity will be off on Weds from 8.30-5.30. I've still got Ruby's 90th birthday cake to finish by then too. All hands on deck.
Most of the morning was spent at Titchwell, Island Hide and the bench at the end of the boardwalk. Most enjoyable with some lovely birds. Three Avocets remain, a single Spot Red and 1,000+ Golden Plover, wheeling silver and gold alternately against a blue sky. An apparently empty sea yielded Eider, 10+ G C Grebes, 4 R B Mergansers, a single Goldeneye and Guillemot. Many dozens of expected waders fed among the exposed mussel beds along the shore, a single Little Stint amongst them. As we packed up to leave, half a dozen male Snow Buntings flew past.
After lunch at Brancaster Staithe, we walked to Bishop Hide overlooking Pat's Pool at Cley - and were instantly cross. Four photographers armed with giant lenses took up the whole of the front of the hide, normally room for 8 birders. And they made no attempt to move. We squeezed into the angled corners trying to see past the lenses which stuck out of the viewing slots a a long way. Nothing new so we soon left, fuming, in time to see 2 Peregrines and 3 Marsh Harriers spiralling upwards. Only early mid afternoon but felt like early evening. Wretched daylight saving (what a misnomer).