Another go at the big tide

The Safari was at the tide again hoping for the Water Pipit(s) to show. The tide was higher today and punched by a gentle wind rather than hindered by one as yesterday and came in quicker.

The last remaining 1000 or so Pink Footed Geese took to the skies and headed north. We thought that would be the last of them until next September but they returned an hour or so later.

There were far fewer pipits than yesterday and no Wheatears, insects were conspicuously absent in the chilly wind. We did see a couple of 'Scandinavian' Rock Pipits and a 'petrosus' type with very bright legs.

Over the fields behind the embankment a Kestrel hunted briefly.

This is normally a good site for raptors but the last two days have proved otherwise with a brief view of a distant Buzzard the only other sighting today.

We saw at least 13 Avocets, and plenty of Little Egrets, checking our records from June 78 when we were wardening at Hickling Broad NNR's Rush Hill scrape we saw just two of the former and none of the latter there then - how times have changed!

Young Un AB heard a Chiffchaff (123) that our older ears took an age to pick up.

After all the chatting was done we went our separate ways and we ended up at the local cemetery to twitch the local exotica.

We sat quietly by the pond watching the Mallards, Jackdaws and Black Headed Gulls go about their business all the while keeping our ears firmly open on the trees behind us for a tell-tale squawk.

The main event soon made itself known an looking round we saw a flash of green disappear towards the golf course but it soon came back with a friend.

Ring Necked Parakeets (124), for whatever reason we don't mind adding them to our list but not so the Black Swan we saw with the Whooper Swans on the marsh.

Where to next? Back to Patch 2 to see what the sea might bring.

In the meantime let us know who's doing the wooing in your outback.