Curlew Sandpiper. At Cley Norfolk.

Up and at the meeting point at 5am, we are going to Norfolk, as we have a good chance of getting something new dropping in at Cley, Brian is really hoping to get his 250 year tick, it will be the first time he has got this number.Jimmy & I are on about 230 which is over last years total already.
It is a 2 hour drive for us, this is now a normal thing for us most weekends. After seeing the Red-Back Shrike yesterday, we are full of hope of seeing something new today and getting Brian over the line.

We park up, there are some cars already parked there it is now 7 am and the weather is better than it has been for most of this summer, the sun is out and for the first  time this summer it feels like it is going to be a nice day without us getting wet.


Avocet

 We walk the short distance down to the North Scrape Hide.On the way we see some new contraptions that have been put up on the beach, why I don't really know.

In the hide we can see that the scrape is full of activity, the most visible being loads of Avocets,a Marsh Harrier had just flown past us and unfortunately it had picked up  a baby Avocet and was off to have breakfast, I know it's nature's way, but it is still upsetting to see.

The binoculars & scopes are out & we scan the scrape & pick out a Spotted Red Shank, some B T God wits, loads of Black Headed Gulls, Common Terns & Sandwich Terns,some Shell ducks, Red shanks,


 a big flock of Dunlin fly in, at the back of the scrape we can see 4 Spoonbill just sitting in the sun.
We see 2 more fly down not to far away from us and they keep the cows company who are standing in the water drinking it makes a really nice peaceful scene.

Brian thinks he has seen the target bird, but it turns out not to be, but a short time later he is still trying to spot new stuff, and he See's a Whimbrel, and as he tells us to get on it he picks out the target bird as it walks right in front of the Whimbrel into the view of  the scope.

A couple of birders were just going out of the hide having been there a long time before us and were about to give up, when the call goes up from Brian there it is a Curlew Sandpiper, they quickly sit back down and thank  Brian for the info, we are all onto the bird now and as it is now amongst the Dunlin you can see it is a little bit bigger than them, and this helps us to pick it out, this Curlew Sandpiper is very light in colour and for someone like me it helped me to spot the difference.I really liked watching this little bird for a good while.
Brian then calls a Green Sandpiper, I able to get onto this and watch it fly round the Scrape and land down



Cley Windmill at sunset





The view from North Scrape



behind a cow and it it is now out of sight, a short view but my first of the year, great as the boys already

had this as a tick, I was with then  when they got it but as usual I was to slow to pick it up.

BINGO

Brian's 250th bird of the year. He has really put a lot of effort and hours into reaching he's target.

He works hard all week and this is how he is able to relax away from all the rubbish that he has to deal with there. Also Jimmy and I would not be able to see half of what we do see if it was not for Brian taking us here there and everywere and when possible he will take us back to see something he has already seen himself so we don't miss out, so we have a lot to thank him for,and we are very happy for him to have reached the target he set himself at the start of the year.

We leave the hide now and have a quick scan out to sea as we set off back to the car,nothing about so off we go in search of a Montagus Harrrier, we have tried 3 or 4 times at the place we are told they are seen , but once again out of luck. We set off again this time we hope to spot a Honey Buzzzard , no luck once again so off home. On the way Brian breaks the journey by stopping off at Devils Dyke over looking Newmarket racecourse to look for Butterflies.

All three of us soon see the Chalkhill Blue, that is in abundance here, further down I spot a Gatekeeper Butterfly, I scramble down the bank at some risk to myself and get some sort of a photo of it.

Now if I had a hard time getting down the bank, it was twice the challenge going up, how stupid am I.

Back at the top,I am soon onto a Meadow Brown, it  fly's down the bank to the flowers down at the  bottom, this time it's on it's own. I now get lucky as I see another one right in front of me and sitting up.

Small heath

My next aim is for a Small Heath Butterfly, I do see one on the grass in front of me, the photo I got was not a good one, but still I did get a shot of it..




Chalkhill Blue



Gatekepper





 Brian and Jimmy were off doing their own thing and as yet I don't know what they have seen.

Jimmy has just brought himself a bigger and  better lens for his camera, and I won't know how happy he his with it until we get home and see what he has got on it.

Home now, but as we get near home we pull into a pub at High Beech in Epping Forest and have a nice pint of the amber necter to celebrate with Brian for him hitting his target. Another great day doing what we like to do together, I feel very lucky to be able to spend so much time with my boys doing what we all like as our hobby.