We did the usual post mid summer lull and went up to Norfolk just to see what happens. There have been a few early migrants like Red Backed Shrikes, and waders are starting to move so we thought we'd visit Titchwell. As it turned out we didn't see many migrants and the highlight was rather unexpected.
Leaving the car park, which was a bit cool and breezy, it quickly warmed up and the path beyond the centre had lots of dragonflies-Common and Ruddy Darters, Southern and Migrant Hawkers and a few damselflies. White butterflies, were seen frequently, a s well as a Painted Lady, a few Common Blues and several Grayling, one of which posed quite well for me.
The wildfowl on the lagoons were largely in eclipse and consisted of the usual suspects-Teal, Shoveller, Mallard and Shelduck in the main, with some diving ducks. Big flock of Avocets of course with a couple of Spoonbill failing to hide among them, but otherwise waders were Ruff and a few Godwits. The tide was well out so most of the waders were either on Thornham, in the deep muddy channels or on the beach. We failed to locate the Greenshank which were around, but found several Spotted Redshanks among the Redshank, Curlew and Grey Plovers on the brackish lagoon. Lots of Godwits, Curlew, Turnstone, Oystercatcher, Sanderling and Dunlin on the remains of the old beach forest.
Sea watching was very poor. while a few people had seen terns and skuas, all I managed to find was a single drake Common Scoter, so we headed back. Didn't pick up anything else though I heard a few Whimbrel. Rather oddly we never saw a raptor all morning.
The reeds by the path held one or two Reed and Sedge Warblers and we got decent views now and again of juvenile Bearded Tits, though they wouldn't stay still long enough for the camera. There were also a few Wagtails around-mostly families of Pied but we did also see a couple of Yellows.
The Fen Trail wasn't all that great. Apart from the dragonflies mentioned earlier there were a couple of Emperors, Black Tailed Skimmers and Common and Blue Tailed Damselflies.
Went to Patties Pool which had a couple of Red Crested Pochard, but the big bonus was in the paddocks nearby-a Turtle Dove. We watched it for some time a long way down the track before it flew onto the marsh and then back again. Did this several times, and I managed to get a few images through the scope but it eventually came a lot closer and I got some decent shots with the 100-400 lens. Can't remember the last time I had such good views of this now rare summer visitor, and to be perfectly honest in the last 20 years there have been many years with ought a sighting at all, or at best very distant views in tree tops. Also, I didn't have a camera all that often when they were still fairly common (and when I did, why bother wasting precious film with common pigeons back then!).
After this we had a check of what was being reported and with not much on the coast, decided to head home.
We called in at Fowlmere for an hour or so. Unfortunately it had clouded over and got rather breezy (scotching plans for butterflies on Therfield Heath afterwards). This also affected the insects, and only a few Southern and Brown Hawkers were flying.
The woods were alive with warblers-Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, a few Willows, Whitethroats and Lesser Whitethroats. The main lake was rather dry and full of Greylags and Mallards. Overhead and around the stables a large flock of Swallows Swifts and House Martins failed to produce a Hobby-though the ten or so House Martins pretty much doubled the number I'd seen this year.
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