170 – Cetti’s Warbler

Day 3 of our ‘Birding Adventure’ and Helen and I went to Cley Marsh NWT on the North Norfolk coast. Wow, what a place!

It was a glorious warm and sunny day with very little breeze today – just perfect for bird photography!

No sooner had we started along the path to the first hides when a Sedge Warbler exploded into song right near us – a great start to the day!

The first three hides we visited were beautiful – thatched rooves and ideally located for seeing lots of waders on the mere in front of us. We could see: Ruffs, Redshanks, Greenshanks, Avocets, a Common Sandpiper, several House Martins (quite unexpected!), some Dunlin and a host of assorted wildfowl. All of these in glorious sunshine – fabulous!

After spending an hour or so here we walked back towards the Visitor Centre to have some lunch. On the way we photographed several more warblers, a Wren and a Reed Bunting.

After lunch in the magnificent, modern Visitor Centre, we headed out again along the path which led to the beach. Again we were treated to loads of sightings: warblers (including a new one for me – a Cetti’s Warbler), waders (the photos below include two Ruffs in quite different plumage), a Little Egret, Swallows, Swifts, Skylarks, Greylag Geese, a curlew, a Water Pipit, a distant Marsh Harrier, and, best of all – another Bearded Tit! That made two Beardie sightings on two consecutive days, on two different reserves. One other notable sighting along the trail was a brief glimpse of a Chinese Water Deer – very unexpected!

By the time we got back to the car, around 4pm, we were feeling really buoyed-up. The weather was still great so we decided to call-in at Titchwell Marsh again on the way back to King’s Lynn.

By the time we reached Titchwell it was quiet. There were still a good few people around on the Beach Trail as we walked along the edge of the Reedbed towards Island Hide. There were more warblers around for us to try to photograph before they inevitably flew away quickly!

I couldn’t believe it when I managed to capture photographs of yet another Bearded Tit – unbelievable; two different Beardies in two different reserves on the same day!!

My second Bearded Tit sighting of the day

Norfolk is truly living-up to its well-deserved reputation for superb birding!

Sculthorpe Moor tomorrow – that was fantastic on our previous visit too. What will tomorrow bring, I wonder!!