Cley etc

This post is entitled Cley etc. Cley is a famous name among birders generally and UK birders in particular. Now the etc part is important too. There is the first etc; which was a seal viewing boat trip to Blakeney Point which proved a great birding option as well. The second etc was a tip off from our guide Marcus to a local heath where he thought we might find some target birds.

So first things first. The seal trip. We had booked the boat trip a couple of days earlier – the Tuesday for the Thursday and were told that they had cancelled the trips on the Tuesday because of the poor weather, in particular, the strong winds. I am pleased to say that by the time Thursday had arrived the winds had left, leaving, by any standards, a glorious day. So glorious in fact that many on the trip proudly displayed bare arms for the very first time on tour!

Grey Seal

Grey Seal

Grey Seal

Common Seal

Common or Harbour Seals

We were to board one boat; proudly named the Ptarmigan, despite the fact that the bird has nothing to do with the waters on which we were sailing. To tell the truth I was a little concerned about the trip – early on. As there were crowds of people; especially school kids – the large numbers created by the cancellations early in the week – and I thought that our boat might be too well crowded. In the event it was okay despite the fact that we had three dogs aboard. The dogs and everyone in fact behaved well and we had a great trip. My only lasting complaint was that it could have been longer.

Common Tern

Oh, I had another concern, too, caused by the smoking boat man who flicked his half smoked fag into the water as people began boarding. Eco tourism providers probably should have some idea about water pollution…

The boat sped out to the point and we were busy identifying birds as we went; Black-headed Gull, Herring, Little and Common Terns, a Loon. A Loon? Unexpectedly we saw a Loon or as the Brits call them a diver, a juvenile. This was a surprise as all the loons [divers] should have gone north. We would have liked to get closer but the boat was heading for the seals.

Red-throated Diver

We enjoyed the seals lounging on the beaches and frolicking in the waters or just floating around like bloated holiday makers. And while we watched and photographed the seals, one eye was kept towards the sky looking for rarer birds. I’m pleased to say that we got lucky and got reasonable views of a rare British breeding bird- the Mediterranean Gull.    

On the way back our smoking boatie proved he was a good fella by respecting my request to approach the loon so we could photograph it for an ID. The photo proved it was a Red-throated diver. And bird of the day!!

The second etc was a heath, where the most northerly records of breeding Dartford Warblers were logged. Four pairs inhabited an area of 100’s of acres. Luckily we met John, a smashing old fellow, who was one of the management advisors for the land and a frequent and passionate visitor to the reserve. He is into all things natural and he shared his experiences with specific management decisions to enhance butterfly populations within the heath, especially endangered species. His passion, of course, extended to the warblers; birds he himself had discovered. We got great views of a pair and their young flitting between the bushes. Another target – the Turtledove –remained both silent and invisible. So happy with our successes we made our way to our Norwich Hotel, an hour’s drive to the south.

Chaffinch male

In between etc 1 and etc 2 we visited a Norfolk Nature Reserve – Cley Marshes. This reserve is a testament to the bird lovers of Norfolk and the UK. It is a small but well maintained reserve featuring fresh and salt water habitats. The fresh water creates habitat for large reed beds that surround open waters where waders and waterfowl congregate. The reserve has large hides and an extensive shop, café and education centre. And we all wished that Australia could create a few things similar, close to our larger cities, where young and the not-so-young could get a natural history fix!  

Shoveller

Black-headed Gull

Little Egret

Black-tailed Godwit