Cley Marshes NWT 12th May 2012

Cley Marshes NWT 12th May 2012

Our first full day in Cley meant a chance to have a good walk round the Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s reserve there. Our starting point was the visitor centre and, of course, I asked where we were likely to see any Spoonbill. The chap at the counter simply said “over there” pointing to a small dot at the far end of the reserve. After putting a scope on it from the car park it was clearly a very big white wading bird and roughly the shape of a Spoonbill. We were going to need better views that this, however. We set off to Dawke’s Hide first which was a bit nearer and got slightly better views. On the water were very many Avocets – possibly around sixty but there were also Gadwall, Black-tailed Godwit, Tufted Duck, Shoveler etc. We stayed here for a while and then walked back up the path through the reed beds where we could see Sedge Warblers as they occasionally burst up from the reeds singing. There were Bearded Tits as well but again there was a bit of wind so they were very fleeting views.

We walked round to the path leading to the other hides at the landward end of the reserve and stopped first at the Teal Hide which overlooks Pat’s Pool. This is one of three hides all clustered together and covering about 240 degrees of view over the ponds, scrapes and reed beds. As we approached this hide there were a few people peering into the shrubs at the side of the hide and after a short while it became evident that they were trying to spot a Cetti’s Warbler. This bird was apparently nesting in one of the small bushes and shot out occasionally to utter its ear-piercing song before diving back into the cover. We looked for quite some time but although we could hear it, we just couldn’t see it. From the Teal Hide the view was similar to before and as we sat down a Little Egret flew in and landed just at the left edge of our vision. Again there were lots of Avocets as well as a couple of Pied Wagtails on one of the scrapes. The air, as ever, was full of Swifts, Swallows and Martins and there were lots of Common Terns on one of the small islands that the Black-headed Gulls were not dominating. All the time we were in this hide we could hear the explosive song of the Cetti’s Warbler just outside so when we came out of the Teal Hide and were going to go into Bishop’s Hide I decided to stop a while by the same bush that we had heard the Cetti’s Warbler song come from and see if I could get a glimpse of it. After about ten minutes it shot our again, gave a burst of song just long enough for me to locate it and then it immediately shot back in to the bush. I had my first fleeting glimpse of a Cetti’s Warbler. A woman standing next to me said that she had been here four days in a row trying to see this bird and birding is that way, sometimes you have to wait days and other times you only have to wait minutes. For us Bitterns and Water Rails were our bogeys so we understood her pleasure of seeing this warbler at last.

We spent a bit more time at the Avocet Hide where the species were broadly the same but we could add Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Little Ringed Plover and Redshank to our list of species seen.  As we left we again lingered for another view of the Cetti’s Warbler and as we peered into the bush it burst out, let rip its song, and shot back in but this time we could see it clearly inside the bush. In fact we watched as it chased another warbler away but we could not determine what the other bird was. This was by far the best views yet and everyone else around eventually walked away looking very pleased with themselves at this great view of the elusive bird. As we walked back to the visitor centre we could hear a Cuckoo calling from somewhere on the site and we coiuld see the ever present Marsh Harriers patrolling the reserve. A Hobby was also spotted . We returned to the visitor centre for a quick spot of lunch but unfortunately the Black Redstart we had seen on the benches outside the cafe yesterday was not showing today. Apparently, however, it had been a regular in the same spot or around the car park for weeks. This is what Cley is like.

For the afternoon we decided to take the long walk down to the sea along Beach Road. On the right side as you walk down to the sea are reed beds and to the left there is rough pasture and beyond that the River Glaven. As we walked down we could hear more Sedge Warblers and on the pasture, Pheasant, Jackdaw, Lapwing and an assortment of gulls. When we got to the car park at the end of Beach Road we turned to our right and took the path by the meadow that leads to the Swarovski Optics Hide overlooking the North Scrape. This meadow was full of Skylarks, many of which were collecting around a small pool of fresh water to drink. Occasionally one or two would take to the air rising high into the sky and filling the air with their wonderful song. As we walked along the path two birds landed on the path ahead of us. We managed to get the scope out in time and one was a Meadow Pipit and the other a Wheatear. From the hide we got our closest view yet of the Spoonbill and by now it had woken up and untucked its head from under its wing and was showing reasonably well if still a little far away. As we sat in the hide some Common Terns flew past the window and others said that there were some Sandwich Terns amongst them but it was too fleeting for me to spot. On the scrape there was a Common Sandpiper to add to our list but we were unable to see the Temminck’s Stints that we kept hearing were at this side of the reserve. On further enquiry someone suggested that they go over the side closest to the visitor centre in the afternoon !!

As we left this hide we got very good views of Wheatear and also Grey Plover – another first. By now it was getting late in the afternoon and we decided to call it a day and returned to the visitor centre for one last cup of tea. Whilst there we enquired of a chap behind the desk where we might be likely to see any Owls and he suggested a couple of places for Barn Owls, the closest of which was over the fields by Wiveton Church but more of that later. For the moment our day on the reserve had netted us fifty-six species, including two lifers (Grey Plover and Cetti’s Warbler) and another one heard but not seen – a Cuckoo. Since we have been in Suffolk  and Norfolk we have heard Cuckoos probably every other day !

Bird Sightings : Cley Marshes NWT