Window to Wildlife

 Today we headed eastwards on the coast road to Cley NWT. Our main target was Long-billed Dowitcher, an American vagrant which has been around the area for several months. We arrived before the visitor centre was open, but were pointed in the direction of a likely hide by a member of staff. We scanned the pool from here noting crisp Pintails on the water and groups of Black-tailed Godwits and Avocet interspersed with a few Ruff, - our first of the year - all roosting on some exposed ridges, heads tucked neatly under their wings, but there was no obvious sign of our target bird. So we next headed off to the east bank, a raised walkway overlooking ‘the serpentine’ wetland area, unfortunately very exposed to the extremely strong winds. We observed plenty of Lapwings and Golden Plover enjoying the wet marshy landscape, but were unable to pick out the Dowitcher as we hunched against the elements and headed for the beach.  It did not take us long to find a roving flock of around 40 Snow Bunt

 We spent the morning at Holkham Hall, starting with distant views of a Great White Egret and a flock of White-fronted Geese viewed froma lay-by as we approached the area. From St Anne’s Drive, where we parked the car, there were plenty of Wigeon and Lapwing, but no Snipe or waders such as we have seen in previous years.  We set off to Holkham Gap with our first target the Shore Lark. These had been seen on the east side of the salt marsh but had flown shortly before we arrived and their current location was unclear. We eventually spotted them in the midst of the vegetation, but by the time I’d got my scope up they had disappeared again! We trekked across the marshy path behind the dunes scanning the area, and flushing some Redshank and a Little Egret, but could not relocate the Shore Larks, although Skylarks were plentiful. As we walked across the stream which cuts through the middle of the Gap, a birder walked towards and told us he had seen them at the left side of the saltmarsh. Of