BirdingPals

My primary purpose in registering with BirdingPals some years ago, was to enable me to use the service. Many countries in the world have registered birders prepared to take others out for the day for a contribution towards petrol or lunch - or both.
I was contacted by Bob a few weeks ago, staying in Cley and hoping for a day's guided birding. We met Bob and friend Paul outside the Three Swallows in Cley where they are staying in a cottage, with their wives, for a week. Both are well travelled Australians and very pleasant and affable company. Not the best time of year to go birding, too much greenery, birds have stopped singing so much and migration is over.
We made for Titchwell via our Spotted Flycatcher site. It showed very well and quickly.
On a very warm and sunny day, we spent a couple of hours sorting through the birds on the freshwater marsh. An extremely large flock of Knot, threaded through by Black-tailed Godwits, swirled cloud-like from time to time. It was a bit of a novelty having to SEE the singing birds. We don't bother much after the first of the year. Only the elusive Cetti's eluded us. Despite many big misses e.g. Jackdaw and Mute Swan, we managed middle sixties in four hours birding.
They seemed more than happy with the day and we enjoyed it too.