Sunday, 17 July 2016

17th July Norfolk- sunny, hot 25C, steady SW breeze

Today was spent at Morston, during the morning I walked the sea wall area from the village to Stiffkey fen.

Morston marsh was alive with colour and plenty of Skylark and Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting, singing Yellowhammer and Whitethroat, and Swallow, Swifts, House and Sand Martins feed overhead.

A Pied Wagtail was busy collecting food, ignoring everyone most of the time.


A Little Egret was on the edge of a creek, while another fed in the creek with a Herring Gull and juvenile Black-head Gull nearby.  The Herring Gull was doing some foot-paddling to search for food.





Stiffkey fen is quite small and located immediately behind a creek and sea wall.


On the fen a flock of about 30 Black-tailed Godwits and a similar number of Redshank were feeding and roosting.  Several Avocet were present, one had a nest.  A lone female Pintail was present along with Teal and Mallard.  The is a Black-headed Gull colony here too with many juveniles.  A Buzzard flew over calling.

During the afternoon I explored the Morston area for butterflies, there were several of the common species present, unfortunately nothing else, Large Heath, Gatekepper and Small Skipper for example.

While doing this I heard a very evocative call from above, 8 Whimbrel were flying over and pondering whether to land to not, I think they moved on to Skiffkey fen.



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