May 12, 2012 archive

Wiveton Church 12th May 2012

Before we left the Cley Marshes visitor centre this afternoon 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 so we decided we would go there that evening at dusk. We returned to the hotel and had a drink in the bar where the Wiveton site was also recommended by the hotel owner. As it happened we decided to eat at another pub in Cley, the Three Swallows, and we ended up in conversation with the landlord and he also recommended Wiveton as a sure-fire Barn Owl location. With three independent recommendations we felt we were in with a fair chance so after we had eaten, at around 8.30pm, we headed off down the road to Wiveton. It was still light but by the time we got there we thought it would be about the right light level.

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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. Continue reading