Cley marshes...

On the North Norfolk coast now, so spent the morning on Cley Marshes, which is probably the best-known haunt for birds in England. The session started well with a pair of hobbies and a spoonbill, a bird I would never have expected to see twenty years ago. A kestrel hovered, a sparrowhawk careened across the water and marsh harriers were chased away by anxious avocets guarding their nests (and, for one pair of avocets, a chick). The most plentiful birds were black-tailed godwits, joined by a few other waders: bar-tailed godwits, dunlin, knot, redshank, common sandpiper, ringed plover, little ringed plover, lapwing and oystercatcher. I heard skylarks, goldfinches, sedge warblers and the weak little song of reed buntings. A pair of bearded tits dived into the reedbeds, and a quartet of little terns sunned themselves on a sandbank. Sunny day, friendly faces, no complaints…

Unloading fish on Aldeburgh beach...