Posting - dereliction of Duty.......

September 15
Black Terns at Whitlingham Great Broad, Wryneck at Cley East bank, several fairly fruitless trips to Winterton - one ChiffChaff at Horsey gap - since the last posting.
Yesterday was our monthly (approx) birding with Bridget and Aileen. They both needed Arctic Warbler and it's a while since we've seen one; we arranged to meet at Holme NOA car park.
After a chat with Sophie as to the bird's habits, we spent the next hour or so searching the pines along the back track. Plenty of birders, none of whom had seen the bird. After a last circuit, in a strong wind, we gave up and drove to Titchwell.
The new path to Island Hide was opened last Saturday, hurrah. Both sides of the path have been denuded of vegetation and shrubs/trees after the turning to Fen Hide, black plastic mesh laid and the banks re-seeded. The drop off to the east looks rather alarming, Aileen could envisage invalid buggies careering down there !!
A passing birder  alerted us to a Kingfisher perched low down in a small drainage channel on the west,  only visible from an acute angle. Pam and I saw it before it disappeared. She did find it again for A and B on the return journey.
The freshwater marsh has had a large area of reeds near the path cleared and there was plenty of mud showing. The waders were distant. We saw 6 Little Stints, Redshank, 50+ Ruff (didn't count) Black-tailed Godwits, 10+ Ringed Plovers and an abundance of ducks still in eclipse. A juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was reported later..... A few Pintail and Pochard swam at the very back of the pool.
Brancaster Staithe for lunch at an hour past high tide, with a few Grey Plover, a single Bar-tailed Godwit and a moulting Sandwich Tern. The pager alerted us to the re-appearance of the Arctic Warbler at Holme. A return visit, patience and perseverance brought success, albeit a rather unsatisfactory view. Against the light, popping about from branch to branch in thickish cover. Undoubtedly the Arctic though. Heavy rain drove us car-ward, ten minutes in an NOA reserve hide at the height of the downpour.
My trousers had dried by the time I got home but my fleece is still wet a day later. Should have worn a waterproof!