Bill Neil

Rutland Water 15th May 2012

On the last day of our holiday we had intended to go back to Cley Marshes but it was so wet when we were packed and ready to go that we decided to go straight to Rutland Water where we were due to stay at the Barnsdale Lodge Hotel (which proved to be a great place – and reasonably priced, perhaps due to last minute booking). As it happens our drive took quite some time so by the time we were settled in on the 14th there was no time to do anything except take a walk around the north edge of Rutland Water where we saw a number of the usual birds but we also saw a Kestrel and a Peregrine in close succession so it was interesting to look at their appearance and manner of flight together. On the 15th Anne wanted to go to a local garden before heading back for Manchester but I thought I would have a look again at the Rutland Water reserve on the south and west side and since, when we last stayed here on our way down to Suffolk, we had not really been able to get to many of the hides at the Egleton section of the reserve due to flooding. Continue reading

Holmes Dunes NWT 13th May 2012

We still wanted to do some birding after Titchwell Marsh but it had just been too frantic and full of people there so Holmes Dunes seemed like a quieter place. For a start it is a long drive down an incredibly potholed track to get there and there is no cafe or anything there so unlikely to attract the masses. The reserve is situated on the North Norfolk coast where The Wash meets the North Sea. Behind the dunes are areas of saltmarsh, freshwater marsh and reed beds. They have three hides overlooking Holme Marsh and there is a walk through sand dunes and scrubland with a return walk along the beach as well as a woodland walk. Continue reading

Titchwell Marsh RSPB 13th May 2012

On our last day at Cley we decided that instead of going to Cley Marshes again we we would go to the RSPB reserve at Titchwell Marshes to check that out. As it turned out it was much better and it was dry throughout our visit if fairly windy. When we arrived there we were informed that the “wings over Titchwell” project was underway which was a bird count over the weekend. We were told that there would be RSPB volunteers throughout the site who would be happy to help with any enquiries. This was not actually the case as the dozens of volunteers there to assist with the bird count appeared to be more interested in getting their own ticks than in helping the general public. In fact all the benches along the main path to the Dunes were occupied by these volunteers so it wasn’t even possible to sit for a while and look over the marsh. On top of this it was a Sunday and probably the driest weekend day for a while so there were literally thousands on people on the site and the path to the beach was a long procession of people. Obviously we had not picked the best day to visit ! Continue reading

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

Hickling Broad NWT 11th May 2012

On the 11th we left from Halesworth headed for Cley where we were to stay three days at the George Hotel. Cley is, of course, a sort of birding Mecca and we had been there briefly once before when we saw a small flock of Spoonbills but this time we hoped to have a bit more time to look around the site properly. When we are travelling from place to place we normally try to fit in another reserve en route and today’s target was the Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Hickling Broads reserve. The reserve comprises of a visitor centre and a series of walks through woods and reedbeds with a series of hides before opening out into Hickling Broad itself. There are further tracks to Potter Heigham and along Weavers Way and over to Hickling Heath. Bittern and Eurasian Cranes were our target birds and we tried to maintain an optimistic outlook on our chances of success.
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