Thornham Environs and Castle Acre 7th May 2019

The weather had been pretty mixed so far during our stay in North Norfolk but the morning of the 7th was one of those mornings where all the birds are out singing and my morning walk along the marsh and down through the reed beds to the silted-up harbour was a beautiful start to the day.

The most remarkable feature of the walk was the sheer number of Sedge Warblers out in the open singing.. I counted around sixteen of them and sometimes when I stood still I could see three different birds atop their respective bushes singing at full pelt.

The Cuckoo, between Thornham and Holmes Dunes, was calling incessantly there were Linnets dashing from bush to bush, a Reed Warbler singling from deep within the reeds, but still visible as it flitted through its territory.

There were Whitethroats but it is my distince impression everywhere I have been on this holiday that they are much fewer than in my previous visits. The Sedge Warblers seem to have taken over!

House Martins and Swallows flitted over the reed beds and Pheasants squawked from every field. It was a great start to the day but unfortunately it wasn’t a birding day for us as we had already arranged to meet some friends over at Castle Acre, north of Swaffham, for some lunch and a walk. We had an exceptionally good lunch at The Ostrich and a beer or two and then went off for a small walk around the grounds of the castle. Here we at least managed to get Mistle and Song Thrush so I did get some birding in but really it was a day for seeing non-birding friends.

Bird Sightings Thornham Environs and Castle Acre 7th May 2019