Happy New Year, Roll on Spring!!

Just to wish everybody a very Happy New Year, hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas,and now I am looking forward to Spring, my Snowdrops have started to grow, there is gardening stuff in the shops, my Dogwood has a wonderful golden and red glow to it, Im glad it hasnt been too cold, but no doubt that is on its way, the s word, snow. although it does look very beautiful I could do without it.if I could I would hibernate like a little hedgehog, curled up somewhere warm, like bed.and wait for Spring.

Today was a lovely day, golden sunshine low in the sky, shining onto my lovely grasses, they seem to shine in this light.My little Muntjac deer visits most mornings, unfortunately it has taken a liking to the bark on my Japanese Maple tree, so I have taken steps, lemonade bottles tied around the base, also it likes my small Rowan tree, I did like the Muntjac, somebody told me they like bread, and to feed them that and they wont attack my trees, any ideas would be appreciated.

Talking about bad food for animals, I saw a woman feeding dry rice to pigeons in the cemetary the other day, poor things will probably pop when the rice swells.Dont forget to feed the birdies this winter they need you but bird food preferred not dry bread or rice as they willk dehydrate and there is also no nutrition in it.
Best wishes for the New Year.

Yellow Browed Warblers,Goldcrest,and munching Muntjack.

Well im back,been unable to do much walking for a few weeks due to a foot injury whilst on one of my Broads Authority tasks, wrung it over on a tree stump.very painfull for quite some time.

Ive been wracking my brains to try and remember some things that have happened over the past few weeks.

Back at the end of summer took the girls to Wheat Fen, we were prepared sort of ,for it being a bit damp, we hadnt read the informative leaflet very well, it is an area which is prone to flooding as it is an area which takes any extra tidal water from Norwich.Damp??? it was partly knee deep in water, but what fun we had, two of us gave up and went back to the car but myself and my other daughter carried on regardless, wading through the flood, we saw lots of lovely little toads, we could just about see where the path was, so we didnt end up walking into a ditch, but it was still a good day out, if you do decide to go there check you have your wellies.

I expect you are wondering what has happened to the great dyke challenge, maybe not, but it is all coming along nicely, I have planted up lots of wild plants and flowers, we had a good plant appear from nowhere, if i can remeber, it was a Nodding Burr Marigold, which is a good native species.I have planted the top area of the dyke with grass,I had lots of lovely dragonflies and butterflies in the summer, and a couple of weeks ago a Muntjack deer appeared in my garden munching on something.well i stood looking at it and it stood looking at me, both very surprised to see each other.

Have had lots of lovely birdies down at *the reserve*( i now call it,) Chiff chaff Goldcrest, Yellow Browed Warbler. a beautiful Song Thrush, Black Cap.so the dyke is coming along nicely.

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Wheat Fen and the Banded Demoiselle

It was a sweltering hot day (for a change!) unbearably hot long drive to Wheat Fen, over the river from Strumpshaw fen , the home of our famous naturalist Ted Ellis.awkward place to get to from this side of Norfolk but well worth it once you get there, it is similar to Strumpshaw Fen but on a much smaller scale, but just as beautiful, if not more so, not so many people there either, which was good.There are lots of well marked paths through many habitats, and many places for photo opportunities.
We wandered along the lovely little paths stopping to enjoy the scenes one being a Swan with so many youngsters on its back they didnt all fit, one of them had its little bottom and legs paddling in the water behind mum whilst its head was stuffed  between its mums wing and tail at the back, many other lovely sights included red eyed damselflies settling on an abundance of lilly pads, and also the wonderful Banded Demoiselle , which i had never seen before the most amazing colours , and a very distinctive flight, the day was very hot, but there were many shaded places to sit and enjoy the views and take a picnic.Definitely well worth another visit.

Watching the lovely birdy!!!!

The lovely birdy being a Red Footed Falcon,earlier in the week we had gone to Hickling reserve after hearing about this lovely bird being there, but unfortunately it decided to go on a little trip to Horsey, as it was getting chilly we took a chance to go and see it another day at Horsey.It was a lovely evening although a little bit of a breeze, we parked up just past the pub at Horsey and walked down the path, the eveing was glorious and golden, we spotted some people with binoculars and scopes in the distance, things were looking good, we joined these fellow birders and settled to watch, the Falcon was intent on hunting for Dragonflies and other insects, hovering and swooping and returning to its favourite perching post, it was a truly beautiful bird, a juvenile, with more of an orange bill and orange feet,we watched for ages, it was joined by a Hobby, and then later a Marsh Harrier flew past in the distance pausing to check out the field below it.The light was perfect low and golden and clear, what an amazing sight, that evening i actually said "I love my binoculars" I know weirdo!!!!

Dragons Damsels and magical meadows!!

Yes we do have these wonderful things in Norfolk,hidden lovely places, a few of us discover, maybe more than a few, who knows, pick a day a time and explore, who knows what you will find!!
The adventure begins at Upton reserve, a humid, grey day, threatening clouds hang low in the sky all around us, little flecks of blue sky escape the darkness overhead, we all sit waiting expectantly our teacher making ready the leaflets booklets and pictures for our day ahead, hunting dragons and damsels, armed with our little bit of knowledge we venture out into the "weather" and what weather it is, wild and wooly!!!windy teaming with rain and thunder and lightning, not looking promising at all, but we are not downhearted, the weatherman says it will brighten and who are we to doubt his word, we amble along the marshy paths surrounded by reed and then into woodland glades a beautiful place, stopping now and again to look at flowers and birds passing overhead, somebody spots a Hobby, where there are Hobbys there are usually Dragonflies, the skys suddenly clear bright hot sun shines on our cold damp backs, and yes, there, ahead in a bank of reeds we see the wonderful jewel coloured creatures Damselflies, hovering and basking in the brief sunshine.Then an abundance of these beautiful creatures infront of us,a little further on an Emerald Damselfly, a Norfolk Hawker, Chasers, Red Damselflies, our quest came true, what lucky people we were to see these lovely things on what we thought was going to be a dark dreary day!!

Another lucky day came soon after this one, taking a chance on a dreary day to go exploring virgin paths, we decided to go and take a look at the woodland walks at Burlingham, we had been along a couple of these paths before, but decided to explore a different one which started off opposite the turn off to Fairhaven ,it started off normally enough a pleasant walk along a fairly ropey road, with a lovely fen to our left and woodland on our right ,the fen being called Hare fen, we stopped to listen to birds and take a breath before we started on the long ramble.carrying on through a small dark wood we came out onto another track, it was well signposted and we had a map with us so no worries there getting lost,then clouds seemed to darken and a warm drizxle fell, so we found shelter under a bank of trees alongside a field, and we were surprisingly warm and dry,we sat and chatted and watched crickets and beetles scurrying and hopping by, afte our brief rest, the rain  subsided slightly so as time was getting on we decided to take a chance and carry on, walking past hedgerows and picturesque cottages, we came out onto a huge expanse of meadow, filled with small orchards off into the distance, there were rows and rows of poppies oxeye daisys knapweed birds foot trefoil timothy it took your breath away it was so pretty, bees and butterflys were spoilt for choice flitting here  and there, with a feast of nectar at their (fingertips?) wingtips?, we carried on accross the meadow and came to a circular dip, resisting the urge to do something i used to do as a child, (lay on the floor and roll down trhe dip)and not wanting to leave this Magical meadow, we walked along the side of a field and over a road, what other beautiful sights would greet us on this virgin path (to be continued)

Hunting the Broad billed Sandpiper,and adventures in Holt!!

Sorry havent been able to write just recently have been a little bit busy.
Its been a good week weatherwise, although still windy,we had a good Bank Holiday weekend, went on a lovely adventure!!Me being me and my birthday being late in the year I needed a little something mid year to look forward to, so a friend suggested another birthday like the Queen!!!so we suggested 29th May, which is always going to be around the Bank Holiday,bit hectic regarding visitors about, but never mind, we have to put up with these little difficulties living around The Broads!!Our little adventure started off by passing every single place I had ever visited, in our area of Norfolk( well almost slight exaggeration there)coming up to Holt, I couldnt think what the surprise could be, but, we didnt go through Holt, we stayed there and went up some little side road,and then I started to get an inkling as to what it was, I had always wanted to go on the steam train, from Holt to Sheringham,the Poppy Line, and lo and behold we took a *sharp* turn into the Railway car park, I was so chuffed(get it!!!!) sorry,
We spent the day near enough on the Poppy line steam train, getting on and off where and when we wanted, the stops on the way were, Weybourn, a pretty,  old fashioned station, where we got off and had a lovely walk and sat and had a picnic, by a little pond full of tadpoles, and Dragonflies and Damselflies, and then we went to Sheringham, a bustling seaside town, lots of Holiday makers  being the Bank Holiday, we walked along the sea front, and onto the beach for a little while , as we had to hurry back for the train,which was quite full, so we had to stand.,I think lots of people just stayed on the train and journeyed back and forth all day,which was a pity , later that afternoon we got the last steam train back to Holt, we had had a lovely day, but it didnt finish there, we popped along the coast to Cley, and had a look in a couple of the Bird hides at the reserve, lots of waders about, so I practiced my I.D. skills.
During the week we went Broad billed sandpiper hunting, along Breydon, I lucked out a couple of times, all I could see from my friends scope was a little dot!!but he managed to see it later in the week, which is good.If it hangs around Breydon, I may try again!!

Part 5, Walberswick to Blythe Estuary and open access land.

Walberswick (continued), We carried on with our exploration , after seeing a tempting little layby near some woods on our way to Walberswick, we checked the map,found the layby  parked up and went and had a nose, turned out it was open access land, one path did have a closed gate accross it but a notice explained this was due to ground nesting birds, so we took the other path. This led off to a  gentle sloping path further into the woods,it was so peaceful, birds singing in the pine trees, cones littered the ground, lots had been nibbled, probably by squirrels, we heard shuffling in the trees looked up and caught a glimpse of one now and again, we were probably disturbing their peace, as there was no other person there.Further up the path we had a choice once again, one path led off to our left amongst Bracken and sparser trees, the other led downwards into thicker trees to our right, we guessed this would eventually lead to the estuary(we hoped), so we turned right, lo and behold infront of us was an expanse of reeds ,we could just see them through the trees, the path went on for quite a way, large trees to our left and reeds to the right, then it opened out a bit more and we could see the Blythe Estuary, and then just infront of us we saw a small muddy path leading out onto a narrow spit of land out onto the estuary, our luck was in, slowly and carefully, and keeping low as we got nearer to the end ,so as not to scare the birds, we crept out onto the narrow embankment, hunkered down near the end and sat with our binoculars and scopes and waited, luckily the tide was coming in very slowly, we had the sun on our backs, it was lovely and warm, and there was a lovely golden light, perfect!
A little group of Dunlin were poking about in the mud, alongside were Ringed Plover, we had perfect views, and even better the tide was bringing them closer and closer to us, we also saw Curlew and Godwit, Oyster Catcher, we didnt want to leave, it was so warm and comfy sitting there looking over the estuary, to our left looking over the reeds it looked like a new hide had been built, but we werent sure if the other path led there and as it was getting late, we had to leave.We crept back along the path didnt disturb the birds at all, wandered back through the woods, and just as we were about toturn back onto the sloping path, a very large grey bird flew out from scrub to our left,it was very large, my partner in crime had a better view then I did, it shot off towards trees on the other side of the reeds, it was very large and grey and extremely agile and fast in its flight, so what we believed we had seen was a Goshawk, they have been seen at Henham a couple of miles up the road, so its not beyond possibilities.What a perfect day that was and what a perfect ending to it.

Part 4, Wonderful Walberswick,Blythe Estuary, 3 cheers for open access land!!

Friday, not a bad day, sunny but brisk wind once again.so wrapping up in layers we departed,heading for wonderful Walberswick, id never been there before so i was looking forward to our day out.Walberswick is just after Southwold and just before Dunwich(extortionate prices in shops but lovely places all the same)
What a pretty place, just what youd expect from a seaside village, the cottages were picture book pretty, some houses off the main street were a bit contemporary for my taste,we wound our way down to the car park near the beach, £3 for all day, Got kitted up for a long walk took all our food and drink with us, and prepared to brace ourselves for the wind whipping across the beach, but the first leg was sheltered , we headed towards Dunwich, our way was blocked after a little while by notices warning us of ground nesting birds and posts with electric fencing.So up onto the beach quite a lot of shingle and large stones bit tiring to walk on so being a keen beachcomber i suggested walking on the hard wet sand, not so tiring.Trouble is with me i go into beach mode and my eyes stay firmly on the sand incase something interesting catches my eye,such as Amber, or Sea glass,or pretty quartz stones, but not too  much of that now, I am still on wader ID, off to the first pool, there we saw 6 Knot, one in summer plumage and the others were still in winter plumage, but looking very lovely all the same, we just caught a quick glimpse of a Grey Plover before it flew off, we carried on and walked down into the reed beds, we found a nice quiet corner out of the wind and had our picnic, then the plan was to carry on up to the woods where we could look down at the top of the hill over a scrape, the woods were sheltered and quiet with Bluebells everywhere, we passed by a lovely little cottage nestling in pretty gardens, an idyllic place to live, At the top of the hill we looked down over the marshes and the scrape (pond), there was a Wood Sandpiper in the distance, and quartering over the reeds was a beautiful Marsh Harrier, we watched it for a while, then realised to our horror that it was about to swoop onto baby ducks who were blissfully unaware of the threat overhead, it dived at a solitary baby duck, and luckily it missed,it flew back over the reeds, and the baby ducks just carried on swimming about on their own as if nothing happened.A Ruff joined the Wood Sandpiper, we had a tiny glimpse before they disappeared from view.
On our map was a tempting little pool amongst reeds, so we decided to go search for it, very difficult as we could barely see above the reeds,  once we had gone back down from our woody hill, we had little glimpses of water and Gulls swooping and diving but there was no view point, then suddenly we heard a very strange noise ,it sounded like a baby or young child crying in the distance and as it came closer, it became a kind of mewing, then we realised it was the sound of Med Gulls, a truly weird noise, id never heard it before. Earlier along theses criss crossing paths we heard a Bittern booming, so we hoped we would get a glimps, a few minutes later we were not disappointed although it wass only a matter of seconds a Bittern flew up out of the reed bed and then dropped back in.Great stuff.By this time we were getting a bit weary, and decided to make our way back to the village(Walberswick), on the way coming across acouple of little pools where there was a glimpse of a spotted Redshank.We wandered through the village found a shop and got ice creams then went back to the car, our next litttle exploration would be a little way back up the road where we had seen a small layby beside some open access land where we were hoping to walk through and come out on the far side of the Blythe Estuary(lots of Waders hopefully) to be continued.

Part 3, Breydon.

Thursday, a steely grey atmospheric day across Breydon, in other words it was flippin cold, with the wind whipping across the marshes behind us from the Acle straight. We started from Asda car park, not too bad the sun was trying to get out, but big black ominous clouds lurked.Our plan was to walk along the embankment just before the tide was about to come in, and when the tide came in it would slowly force all the little waders poking about in the centre muddy bit, towards us seemed like a good plan, a simple plan,so out we walked to where the second hide ued to be , not the first hide, which used to be inhabited by goodness knows what.then we hunkered down out of the wind, our coats wrapped up near our ears and waited.Slowly and surely the tide came in, but guess what no waders , they decided to stay way over the other side, near the muddy bits near the new bridge. We did see a couple of waders in the distance using scopes, there was a beautiful lwhite Little Egret, they always look like some exotic beautiful bird which should be seen on the African Plains, not on steely grey Breydon.we saw Oyster Catcher, Terns, the tide came rippling in, and the big black clouds also came in and the heavens opened, we got a bit wet, so decided to walk back as fast as we could.We risked a little peek from the first hide which is quite high up on stilts and was also a bit disconcerting for me as there is no solid floor just metal grilling and you could see through to the ground below, and I hate  heights, couldnt wait to get out of there.back to the nice warm car!

Part 2, Minsmere.

Part 2 of our little jolly starts on Wednesday at Minsmere ,after a slight detour after missing our turning, we sat in a layby near the woods and had a little bit of our picnic,then off we set for lovely Minsy!Our walk here started off through the woodland area, I can never seem to work out the directions or the hides we end up in and where they are, but having a seasoned Minsy explorer with me comes in handy!but as  we wandered along the paths, it was a sunny day but the wind was sharp, which had been  a usual thing this week, Swallows wheeled and whistled overhead, Damselflies were darting out of the reeds then back in after succumbing to the wind, we heard Warblers everywhere , there were a few people in the hides but not many, we walked up to the sluice and onto the embankment at the sluice there were photographers with huge lensed cameras hoping to get good shots of the Swallows which were darting and dipping accross the water, we came to the first hide near the beach embankment and extreme wader ID continued , here we saw a gorgeous pintail duck its elegantly long neck shining in the sun after splashing into the water, (not a wader though) so to continue Med Gulls with  their lovely red legs and bills,(not a wader), but there you go nice to have a wader break! we saw Red Knot Red Shank, Godwit, We carried on along the path and turned back in towards the visitor centre, the next leg of our walk passed by some lovely Yellow wagtails, a variation which we saw there was a Blue headed wagtail,we later heard a lovely Nightingale so stopped for a brief moment to listen as it was so kind enough as to sing for us!The next exciting event was a lovely view of a Bittern swooping accross the reed bed from the aptly named Bittern hide, we waited a while to see if it re appeared but decidied to carry on our way, luckily stopping on the stairs and glancing across the reeds, it briefly appeared again, lucky us.so another perfec day!!

Cley, Morston, Mannington, Minsmere,Walberswick and Breydon!!

Well, what a week that was, lots of lovely days out to beautiful places, lots of bird spotting, bluebell woods, estuaries, sea, beaches marshes sunsets, and not to mention extreme wader I.D.
Our first port of call, Tuesday, lovely Mannington and Wooltrerton, majestic woodland, and swathes of bluebells, watching Buzzards displaying overhead, walking along woodland paths without another soul in sight,echoes of Cuckoos calling in the woods exploring little paths turning off into clearings of Orchids,Mannington, hard to find but one of my top ten places to visit. Then next stop Cley and on to Morston, we d worked out when the tide would be low so then we were able to wak out onto the mudflats, past all the quaint little boats with seal trip notices everywhere, and up onto the sandy embankment and way out onto the marsh until we were opposite the big blue lifeboat shed on Blakeney point, we felt as if we could just walk accross the mud to the point, but without knowledge of the area, best to wait until we meet up with a friend who knows the area and also take waders.Out came the bins and extreme wader ID began, I started off easy with the main ones I could recognise, Oyster Catcher, and Avocet, we walked further and came right to the very end of our path, our way was crossed by a large inlet, so we set up scopes on the shingly edge and looked accross to the seals who were moaning gently and basking on the sand opposite, some more Wader ID ensued with, Turnstone, Redshank, then bit more tricky for me as have to get my eye in for Whimbrel and Curlew,
We walked back as it was getting late  and stopped near the anchored boats and saw Greenshank, then  a little way along, Common Sandpiper, I think i was all Wadered out for the day after that so we went to Cley and had lovely Ronaldos yummy icecreams from  the lovely little foodshop there.A perfec day as said in The Darling Buds of May!!
Part two tomorrow!!

Requests

If you are regularly reading this Blog, please let me know if there is anything you would like to know or hear about.and i shall do my best to oblige.Much love.D.

The Royal Wedding, Babes in the Wood, Pingos and Orchids.

Another Bank holiday weekend and once again glorious weather, Friday i sat like most people I expect and watched the Royal Wedding on the tele,my main interest like most girlies I suspect was The Dress, which was very lovely, Kate looked gorgeous and Will looked so handsome, the bridesmaids were so cute, after all the pomp and ceremony and the "do" at Buckingham Palace, what a great idea of having them drive off in Charlies Aston Martin, with balloons and cans and stuff attached and just wed on the back number plates!!
Sunday was a lovely day out, we went to Wayland Woods, where apparently the Babes in the wood story originates from, and it is also listed in the Domesday Book.it is an Ancient Wood and you ll find Bird Cherry there, expanses of Bluebells, and early Purple Orchid, there are lots of lovely secluded little paths dottedwith the beautifull pink nodding heads of Water Avens, and the lovely Yellow Archangel, there were Butterflies everywhere, and we also kept a look out for Golden pheasant but were unlucky this time.Although it was very windy again we managed to find a sheltered spot and sat and had a picnic sitting amongst the wild flowers.

Nearby to Wayland wood a little way up the road is the famous Great Eastern Pingo Trail, no its not that funny little animated penguin, Pingu, although he is lovely, this is Pingo, or shallow circular pools formed about 9,ooo years ago during semi frozen conditions at the end of the last Ice Age, this reserve is called Thompson Common, there about 300 of these pools and they contain a huge variety of wildlife from Beetles to Dragonflies to Water plants, we came upon one Pingo which was a sea of lilac pink flowers it was full of Water violet. There is a waymarked walk which takes you along the Pingo trail it is an 8 mile circular walk, and leads you along lovely lanes and behind Thompson Water onto the Peddars way for a little way and back along a disused railway track, we are saving that walk for another time, looking forward to it.

Easter Monday,Acle Weavers Way, Tunstall church, Cherry trees.

This is another new walk for me and a particularly pretty one, although today there was a pretty stiff wind we were mostly sheltered.
W started off at Damgate Lane in Acle, parked right at the bottom of the road outside the sewage works gates,not as bad as it sounds!!!We walked along a shady road to a small crossroads where we had a choice of turning right or left, our route today took us to the right, along by a ditch on the other side of the ditch were some very sweet bullocks all fluffy and curly haired, they decided to follow us as we walked, and were very curious little boys!! As we walked along there was a screeching from some trees to our right we thought it may be a Buzzard, but a Kestrtel flew out, then we saw in the distance a Hobby, and later on a Marsh Harrier, all good stuff so far.
As we walked we came accross another small dyke , the water was crystal clear and there were Lilly pads floating in the clear water and around them swam tiny Tadpoles. it was a complete contrast to the ditch on the other side of the path which was brown and murky.
We walked across a large field, we were lucky today no Bulls in it , there are usually a few there, there is a warning notice but it isnt seen until you reach the end of the path near a style.
In the autumn time along the next part of the road there are usually bushes dripping with yellow bullaces, I think that is what they are, but whatever they are they are delicious!!
We carried along a lane edged with scarlet campion and jack by the hedge(Garlic Mustard) and there were lots of Red Damselflies, we were hoping to see one of the early Dragonflies, the Hairy Dragonfly, and on our return journey we were lucky, we saw it, and got some pictures, there were Butterflies everywhere, Orange Tip, Brimstone, White, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, and Peacock, it was a lovely sheltered little lane but the next part of our journey took us out into the oncoming wind, so we braced ourselves and set off.
Our next two choices were left or right again, left to Tunstall Dyke drainage Mill or right to Tunstall Church, we decided on the drainage mill where we would sit on a wooden bridge and have our lunch, and after we would go to the church.
We carried on through an archway of Bullace bushes ,once again , in autumn they would be dripping with purple fruit, then we walked out into the full force of the wind, there were a few nettles which reminded us to remember to bring the sting cream next time, along the weay we heard Sedge Warblers in the nearby bushes, and saw another Marsh Harrier in the distance, this was a strange part of the walk as quite nearby we could see the Acle Straight from a different perspective, and also the train tracks, but we sat with our backs to all that and hunckered down as best we could, we made a makeshift shelter on the sside of the bridge with our picnic blankets and wedged ourselves against this to keep out of the wind, we took some lovely pictures, very atmospheric, with the reed swaying in the wind and the old mill looming behind!
We stuffed our faces until we nearly popped, we needed energy for the treck to the church and the walk back to the car.
We walked back to the turning to the church another secluded lane with lots of wildlife ,my daughter had  decided to meanwhile wrap herself up in a grey blanket and fashion herself a walking stick, so we now called her Frodo, with her rolled up pack she looked like one of the fellowship!!!( I aint never bin this far Mr Frodo)
Turning up the path towards Tunstall church was a lovely sight ,you could just make out the ruined part of the church through the trees , and it was framed by a beautiful pink cherry tree in full blossom, pink blossom lay all over the ground like pink snow, it was truly beautuful, we sat inside the ruined area for a little while and  took a few photos, if you do decide to go there dont forget to go in the little church next door which has been restored it is very pretty, we left a little message in the book and a donation and then started off on the journey homeward.

Easter "Ramblings".Steam Trains, Sheringham.

Now is that rambling as in talking a load of "squit "as us Norfolk folk say, or rambling as in lovely walks, you be the judges, I hope it is the latter.
The first little jaunt was a short one, parking at Upton Staithe, and wandering along the back roads for a little way on  a hazy sunny Good Friday, nosing at the lovely gardens on the way, a glimpse of a lovely pond , passing a farm the cows were lazing in deep straw about a foot thick, big brown eyes , shiny russet hides, so content and chewing and contemplating the day quietly, not me, the cows!!Wandering on we found the turning off towards the woods, we passed some sheep, they looked like a kind of special breed of sheep, chocolate brown with large curly horns.Carrying on towards the woods, we stopped  a while on a small wooden bridge, and peered down into the water, we caught a glimpse of a grass snake hiding amongst some water plants, it heard us and swam silently awasy.the woodswere flecked with dappled sun, a lovely perfume wafted on the breeze, the Bluebells were in bloom, a haze of lilac blue on the woodland floor,
Saturday, we did the touristy thing, and visited Sheringham Park, but we decided to not stay in the actual park but walk out to the Weybourne Cliffs, Sheringham Park was bustling with people , ramblers , picnicers, cyclists, dog walkers, we took a little map from the tourist info and planned our route, taking in various viewpoints overlooking rolling countryside and off into the distant hazy sea, walking down steep woodland paths we carried on to what i called the Gazebo, but what is called The Temple, built of white stone at the top of a small hill, we decided it was time for lunch and so sat and had our picnic under a nearby tree away from the public path and the noise and bustle, it was so peaceful, sitting atop the hill looking out towards the sea, and contemplating how long it would take us, plenty of refreshment breaks on the way for energy!!
Next leg of our journey took us along the hoggin type road infront of the large Mansion House, on the way being nearly run over by over zealous mountain bikers!!Oh to be near the Sea and way from this, we came to the little kissing gate, and carried on to our right, along by some fields , which in mid summer will probably be full of meadow flowers, we crossed the road, and took the narrow path up towards the railway bridge,we sat on the wall for a moment incase the steam train came along but it didnt, so sat looking over the countryside, nearby a White throat was singing in the Hawthorn bushes, and we saw a Grey Partridge in the field, a tick for me.singing gaily above us were Skylarks, they always make me smile, and I always remember schooldays in summer laying in the grass on the school field looking up at them and listening to their lovely happy song.

We walked along the cliff tops for a little while and sat and had more lunch, then lay down and dozed for a little while, it was warmer when we lay down as the wind was quite stiff and cool, but it didnt stop the Sand Martens , they swooped and dived so close to us just above the edge of the cliffs, you could almost touch them it seemed.

On the way back excitement leaning over the railway bridge there it was, chugging towards us a thick grey swathe of smoke in the distance, it got steadily closer we could feel the rumbling, we waved, the driver waved back and pulled the whistle, then with an almighty hiss, a huge plume of white steam enveloped us, the smel a mix of scorching steam and oil and smoke, rumbling off behind us.

Runham "Virgin" path!!

Thismorning I was greeted by my little Wren singing joyfully from the top of my big old Holly tree,lovely sight and sound, before going off to the "smoke" good old Norwich for some shopping therapy, much needed as have not been feeling too well just recently.
Yesterday went for a lovely walk , one of our new "virgin" paths!!Runham circular walk, we parked at Runham church, then took a leisurely stroll down to the river (Bure), crossed a field  full of hefty looking horses who decided to follow us , then we walked up the embankment and we were greeted by a vast expanse of reed, the sun was behind us and was turning the tops of the reeds a shining gold, we walked back towards the mill and on the way could hear ping pings (Bearded Reedlings) ping ping is a better name , very descriptive of the calls they make flitting about in the reeds,we saw a little path going off into the reeds and decided to follow it down from the embankment , we walked through the reeds ,could just about see through them as they were taller than us, and there they were two little Bearded Tits, swinging about in the reeds ,they couldnt see us so they were quite happy, like little bandits,we stood for a while and silently watched them,then carried on to the river, then we sat on the bank in the late afternoon sun, so peaceful, apart from a couple of boats going by.
Back up on the embankment as we carried on , a Short Eared Owl flew out from a ditch on our left and glided acrossed a nearby furrowed fied, , it was a tick for me , it flew off into the distance and perched on a post.
Just before the mill we joined up with the return path down off the embankment and through a field where we heard Sedge Warblers, it was a lovely walk and not very long, but well worth it, another tick for one of my new walks.

Dragonflies at Upton.

I know I shouldnt say this but I am so glad not many people seem to go to the Upton reserve,if there were too many people there the whole ambience of the place would disappear,it is one of my many favourite places, in mid summer what a glorious place, Damselflies , Dragonflies, Butterflies everywhere, and if you are lucky you may see a Swallowtail Butterfly one of our Norfolk rareties,walking along the "paths" its silent, maybe soft  rustling of reeds in the breeze,stopping at the viewpoint and having a picnic, and then being surrounded by Damselflies alighting everywhere around you on the wooden posts, basking in the sun just like you, or even catching sight of a Swallowtail fluttering over the reeds.
My daughter took the photos of the Dragonflies , ill see if I can dig out some photos of the area so you can get an idea.we used to walk from the staithe at upton and along a country road and along by a field and then into a beautiful bluebell wood, that walk just about covers every single type of natural habitat you can think of.Heaven!!Cant wait for our summer walk there!

Beachcombing.

Just a quicky this time, a Goshawk been seen at Winterton Dunes, has been there couple of days so I have been told, hopefully it will still be about at the weekend maybe give me a chance to see it.
A walk on the Beach awaits, do a bit of beachcombing, another of my favourite past times.who knows what you will find? last year a poor little pipefish had been washed up strangest looking thing, like an uncurled Seahorse, so I put it back in the water, another time there were thousands of tiny jellyfish washed up,
Sometimes there are lovely pieces of wood that have been smoothed down by the waves.So other than being in lovely forests, I also get a wonderful feeling of peace being near the sea,probably comes from spending so much time playing there when I was very little, being taken there by my Dad all the time, finding lovely things and looking for Amber.Oh well the beach beckons!!

Luncheon on the lawn at How Hill House, and cromin?

Well arent we the Hoi Palloi!!Do you spell it like that??Bit of a non task with the Beavers volunteers on Sunday,dragged a few trees as you do!!put them on a fire!thats what us nature people do!!Then we had lunch on the lawn infront of How Hill House, very civilised,tea,  cake , quiche,cup cakes, yum!!then a lovely walk around Buttles marsh, supposed to hear Bitterns booming but they were on strike that day,never mind no doubt we will hear them soon!This was all in aid of a farewell to Rob who is retiring as our great leader,

Yesterday, Monday the weather was glorious  again, so decided to go for a walk on my patch, for a change,walked up West Road, and then down Clink Hill and along the concrete path to the river, but first we sat right at the top of the hill on a little seat outside the church, with a glorious view over to Breydon, it was lovely and warm and there was a haze in the distance, and we could see the glint of sun on Breydon!The river was quiet only a couple of boats thank goodness,not into the full silly season just yet,we sat on the embankment and looked out over the marshes,just a few birds twittering in the trees,we walked back and it had become very warm, so layering was removed, and the first t shirt only (no cardi) appeared!!We strolled leisurely home, and then sat in the garden, a few Holly Blue butterflys were about and a couple of small whites.

Today Tuesday, was a bit of a lazy day, although being a good old Norfolk Gal, I did some Cromin !!
Suggestions on a piece of paper sent to me as above??do you know what cromin is??and have I spelt it correctly?

Guilty pleasures.!!

Come on fess up, what do you secretly watch or enjoy,you know you shouldnt, but you just cant help it!!!Mine? Ive just realised I cant stop watching "The only way is Essex" SHU...UUUUUUP,those of you who watch it will know!!!!
Harry and Amy are my favourites so funny!!!Harry at his 17th birthday party, dressed as Lady GaGa and doing her dance!!!classic!!!!
So come on what are your guilty pleasures?

Beautiful Brimstone.

Yesterday was another glorious day,after sorting out the Sycamore posts for my rustic fence near the dyke, I sat and watched the birds for a little while, a male and female Blackcap came visiting, flitting in the Forsythia, heard a Willow warbler in the woods at the back of the dyke.and at last two Blue tits have decided which nesting box they like ,and are now building a nest.
Also a Brimstone butterfly was in the garden.

White tailed eagle over Winterton!!!

Being a new birder what a grip this was!!!!!

Phone call arrived at 5pm Sunday, and we rushed straight off to highest ground to get an all round view, and lo and behold about ten minutes after arriving and lots of phone calls to friends , there it was ,amazing sight, huge,with two gulls chasing it!!they looked like little pinpricks in size!!It headed south along the coast and then we saw it turn inland and it seemed to land, as we lost sight and it was quite low, we guessed it would head towards a body of water so we opted for Ormesby and Rollesby Broad, then headed for Filby, to then receive a call that it was headed for Breydon, but it didnt like the look of Breydon, too open no cover for roosting maybe, so it then went to Mautby, we were told!!But we were satisfied, we had seen it!!yey!!!

The next day at our volunteers task I well and truly gripped them all, somebody had to do it!!!!!

What a perfect day!!

Im forgetting all the great days out ive had recently,last Thursday was Holt, to get my bins mended,and while waiting for them we went to Morston Quay, walked way out on the marshes, tide was low, bit muddy but lots of lovely birds ,Oyster catchers  whistling overhead, saw a few Brent Geese, one looked a bit ill, it was sat on the mud and didnt move all the time we walked out on the marsh and back, we got to a grassy emabankment and walked along, from there we could see Blakeny point lifeboat shed, we lay on the grassy bank in the sunshine and looked up at the blue sky, nd listened to the Oyster catchers, what a perfect day.

On Sunday went out to How Hill, and Buttle marsh, heard a Cettis Warbler so close yet so far, flitting about in a little nearby bush, then two walkers passed us and frightened it away.oh well.

The Stone Angels

Nearly forgot to mention, Saturday night was our helping at The Stone Angel gig, it was at St Lawrences church at South Walsham, the lovely church is an Arts centre, it is a beautiful place and the acoustics are amazing, we helped with the wine and nibblys, the music was great, Ken and Joan entertained wonderfully as did the other members of the band, their music is described as acid folk, they have a web site if you fancy having a nose, they have a few CD s out, Circle of leaves, East of the sun, and Lonely waters, mostly about our area of Norfolk and local stories and characters, they play an amazing array of instruments  but check it out yourselves.

Lovely Thurne boat ride!

Well Monday was a lovely day, we had a nice change for a task today we had a lovely long boat trip up the Thurne and into Hickling to pick up some buoys,bit mucky but a great day out, and good fun with the boat handling bit, we started off at Ludham fieldbase, the day was a bit overcast and hardly any wind, we travelled through Potter Heigham under the old and new bridge, had a nose in all the little chalets by the side of the river on the way, went by Martham boats and turned off to Hickling, the Broad looked amazing dead calm, not one other single boat in sight, had the whole of Hickling to ourselves, i couldnt believe it, did all our work ,lifting muddy buoys into the boat and taking them to a little staithe and offloading , then another couple of trips and all done then a nice leisurely journey back to Ludham,

Today Thursday, had a lovely day out to Caistor St. Edmund, had a look around the ruins, walked along the huge ditch which was full of beautiful yellow flowers, then saw a Comma butterfly, then back to the car park and over the road to Chris Skinners, High Ash Farm , what a lovely place, loads of walks every where, rolling countryside, beautiful, then found the Boudica Way walk, that will probably be our next walk, looking forward to that.

The clearing of the Rhodis

The task today was an easy affair,the woods at the back of Ormesby waterworks have been recently cleared of that horrible monstrosity of a plant the rhodedendron or Rhodis!!,the transformation is amazing, there used to be bank upon bank of the detested plant, drowning out every living thing just about, and now we have a wonderful glade a,woodland fiull of snowdrops and we have yet to see what else will appear now there is light and space, some people moan at us "Nature people"cutting down pretty plants, if you'd seen the before and after, you would be amazed aswell, and glad they have gone
All we had to do today is clear a few sycamores, easy peasy compared to the dreaded Rhodi.

The Great Dyke clearing extravaganza!!!!

Well I dont know what came over me, a great feeling of energy,I dont think!!11th March 2011, the great dyke clearing day, a lovely sunny day, I dragged the garden incinerator out of rusty storage and fired it up!!A great tangle of Bramble old cuttings, brash from cut down bushes,and nettles greeted me, and whilst leaning over the fence to collect this rubbish there was an almighty CRACK, the fence gave way, and I ended up in a heap on top of it, laughing at myself like a mad woman!!So there was my excuse to remove the fence.It took me from 7.30 in the morning until 3.30 that afternoon and I cleared it all,cut and burn thats what us nature people love!!

The next plan was to profile the edge, so I have made a gentle slope down to the water, and have planted a couple of water plants which are allowed, I have checked with my conservation officer.Next step is to source various plants ie. cuckoo flower, Hemp Agrimoney, Purple Loosestrife, Wild Campion etc, Photos will be coming soon!! Im so excited, it looks so much better.

Flippn cold and searchin for Redpolls and Short Eared Owls.

Its so cold, we were spoilt with those few days of positively balmy temperatures, I want them back.

The task of searching for the above birds took place on Sunday, it was so cold, and none were seen unfortunately, all likely places were duly scanned Mautby, Stokesby, Runham, Muck Fleet, not a sausage!!but on the goodside I have found some lovely walks to do in the warmer summer days (hopefully) to come!!

We were out on a Trinities task today, also very cold, cutting trees down, along the reed line at the sailing club or by now well past the sailing club, we have done so much work there , making a huge difference!!Cant wait to see it in summer, at the moment we are working almost knee deep in mud!!

Our next task will be Brushcutting, havent done that for a while, am looking forward to it very much, its very theraputic, just have to watch out for ditches where we are going to be cutting, and bumpy ground and trips apart from that all should be fine!! But wish us luck anyway, just incase.

Lots of happenings!

Well lots of happenings, a lovely day out at Hickling reserve, my old work place, lots of lovely memories flooding back, lots of work going on with new flood defences,looks a bit odd at the moment but its all for the best!!Had a lovely trip to Stubb Mill went and had a good look round inside, beautiful old mill, John took us inside and told us the histyory of the place, all very interesting, then we all went for a delicious meal at The Greyhound pub,well cooked homely food, with lots of lovely friends the BA vols!!
This Sunday was our monthly bird count again, it does come round quickly,a Smew was seen on Filby just after we left after our count, typicall, sorry 2 Smew were seen!! At Ormesby Little possible sighting of Peregrine,
Task today, Monday, lovely easy day, tidying up at Filby boardwalk, then went for a stroll at Filby common, probably be working there soon, clearing some scrub maybe.
Nearly fell off my chair the other day sitting watching the birds on my feeders and I was so excited there flitting about in the bushes was a Firecrest, saw it for about a minute looked in my book to check and yes there it was a definite firecrest! !first for my garden!!great stuff!!!

Talked to the fisherman at Filby broad the other day and he showed us film footage of the lovely northern long tailed tits,  beautiful white faces, unmistakable , pictures were taken from his window overlooking peanut feeders in his garden in the middle of Gorleston!!Im so jealous, everyday I get about 20 of them rushing into my garden , and everytime I pray for that lovely white faced long tailed tit to come flitting in , but no such luck!

What a beautiful day!!

Today it feels like spring has sprung!!It was cold and frosty thismorning as i walked into town, but soon became warmer, the sun was shining and the sky was blue, so, when I got back from town I decided to carry on with some gardening, didnt get much done last year, I am paying for it this year, weeds and grass everywhere.


I strarted by planting out my Frittillary plants they are already in bud, I may have made a mistake doing that early, as it has been so frosty thismorning, I hope they are tough, and dont succumb to the cold. Then the weeding began in ernest. Also I had to feed my gasrden birds, I had run out of Sunflower seed their favourite, so whilst in town bought a bag, they seem to be taking their time coming back though, as last week there were flocks of Greenfinches and Goldfinches decending on the garden, pigging out, and scrapping with each other.

I have been keeping a look out for some pretty little visitors Ive heard about who hang around with their cousins the Long Tailed Tits, a Northern Long Tailed Tit, which has a white head and breast. Also along Filby boardwalk some northern Mealy Redpolls have been seen, and at Burgh Common our old friend the Peregrine was spotted again, we usually spot it from either the Filby bird hide, or from Lily Broad .Some fifty odd Bewick Swans spotted at Muck Fleet.

Ive discovered my pond has a leak, there is abit of water in it, when I tried to fill it up it went back to the same level, so i have either got to replace the entire liner or , have a go at repairing it, can you repair it using bicycle repair kits, I wonder, will have a go, and hope I dont poison any of the Newts or Frogs!! Wish me luck!!

A lovely new tick!!!

Went for a walk yesterday, very cold, bitterly cold infact, on the instructions of a friend went in search of a lovely bird at Ormesby Broad, we stopped the car where the ice cream van normally is and walked up to the road, and there sure enough, it was, swimming about near the reeds , and could be viewed perfectly from the road, a lovely Goosander, a female!!

Another strange thing to see, where people normally feed the Ducks, three handsome Cockerels have taken up residence!!

We carried on our little surveillance walk at Rollesby Poors land a lovely piece of land edgeing onto Lilly Broad(Lady Broad whatever),the horses and goats are gone now, giving the plants we ,surveyed maybe bit more of a chance to colonise, but we will see.  (Gorse clearing carries on) .We walked through the narrow trail amongst the Gorse bushes and heard a Water Rail screeching from the Reed bed, we found a little bit of higher ground and looked out over Lilly Broad, there were quite a few birds sheltering from the bitter wind , Coot, Tufted Duck, Teal, Pochard, Great Crested Grebe, a Cormorant, etc..We walked over to the right side of the site, a small area of woodland,  there were a couple of Goldcrests.in amongst the Bramble, on a couple of occasions Otter spraint has been found at the base of trees there, near the inlet, so we checked about to see if there was any, but no luck, also large half eaten fish have been found, so maybe one day I will see an Otter there!!.

Today, Sunday, took part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch ,as usual the hour I picked was a bit rubbish, but I did get a Blackcap and a Songthrush and the other usual suspects. After reading the East Norfolk Ringers Blog may take a walk down to Caister beach to see if any Snow Buntings about.

Weavers Way walk .

This Sunday we decided to go for a walk in the countryside and take a picnic. We parked at East Ruston and walked along the Weavers Way, I have walked lots of little sections along the Weavers Way but this was one part that I hadn't. It was a bit of a murky day and cold but we were in a sheltered place. We decided to make our way to Dilham Lock  I have picniced there many times,  it is a lovely place and you can sit by a small weir and watch the water rushing through.We followed the canal all the way almost to Dilham church,the path was very muddy but we were wearing wellies so it was ok Not that many birds seen but we did see Canada Geese,some Pink Footed geese, and Mallard.near the canal along the way.

There was an opened up area just after the iron bridge ,and from this path you could see the wonderful old brick bridge,I took a couple of photos, unfortunately the camera froze, but I think one of the photos is ok, so I will download it.

On the way home just past Ludham, in a field was about 30 or 40 BewickSwans and Whooper Swans.

Tango!!!!!

Otros Aires CD

 Listen to Otros Aires here: http://www.myspace.com/otrosaires
Well bit different for a change, lovely night out at Norwich Arts Centre!Went to see a band called Otros Aires,wonderful Tango music but with a difference, mixed with electro pop,COOL!!! Lots of people were dancing, the atmosphere was friendly and intimate, the singer had the most warm sultry Spanish accent,the accordion player was amazing and the keyboard player blew you away, they played a mix of classic Tango and as I said before electro Tango, not sure of the exact description, there was a screen behind playing old fashioned black and white film, cartoons and modern light shows,the effect was captivating. Was so good I bought the CD and have been boppin around the front room all morning, well for about 10 minutes!!!

Today was a bit of a murky day so decided to do some gardening ,made my new leaf bin out of scavanged chicken wire,  put leaves in it, did pruning of some of the shrubs, being followed closely all the time by a Robin.


No news as yet re the bird boxes!!

Bird boxes

A cheeky Robin at Minsmere

Today I decided to buy a new bird box, my old  bird box in the holly tree was unsuccessful last year, so I moved the old one to my Willow tree,and no sooner had I done that when a male Great Tit came to inspect it, closely followed by a female, I was so excited ,they came and went and fluttered about, then whilst they had gone, stupid me not thinking put out some lambs wool nesting material near the box, but needless to say they came back and did not like the look of the lambs wool, and haven't come back, stupid me, I suppose they must be very sensitive to changes when looking for a nest site.We'll see if they return!!

Last year I also bought a cheap little woven nest thing and a Wren took a liking to that ,it was lovely to watch the male come and go with nesting materials, and then sit aloftt and sing to females about his hard work!!a little lady took a liking to him, and they were successfull in raising a family, although I was scared for them when a cat kept hanging around the nest area  I was on constant watch for that darn cat, and kept chasing it off, the baby Wrens fledged I was so relieved!!

I will keep you posted if there are any further developments, a Wren has been nosing around the box, but I was told that they dont usually go for that type of nesting box.

I have put my new box in amongst some ivy and opened the front piece so there is no hole, just an open bit which leads down into the box.

Meant to say yesterday, a Merganser, and a Black necked Grebe seen at Ormesby Broad on Sunday, also Bittern seen flying over Filby Boardwalk on Sunday.Male and female Smew seen att Barton Broad on Sunday.

Tree huggers unite

 Arty trees by me

I have come to the conclusion that I must be a bit daft,well actually ive known that for a long time really!!,did a task with the volunteers out around The Broads today, got absolutely soaked to the skin,cutting lanky old Gorse bushes down,coppicing them, so they grow nice and strong,so had added discomfort of prickly bits all in your clothes,just what I needed after being cold and wet!!

Us Nature people do like to cut things down Im afraid,we do get complained about, but we are doing conservation stuff, honestly, trust me Im an eco warrior,or tree hugger, whatever you want to call me!!there is actually a picture somewhere of me hugging a tree, will find it and put it on here at some point in time!!, bet you cant wait for that!!It was taken at one of my most favourite secret places, a beautiful old Bluebell Wood out in the wilds of Norfolk.

Tree huggers unite!!!!

My secret Bluebell Wood by me.

Intro post

Sunset over Mautby by me

Well, this is my first post on my new blog!!So, let me first of all wish everybody a happy new year,I know its halfway through January but there you go,better late than never!!

Some photos will probably arrive on this blog at some point in time but don't hold your breath, although being based in the Norfolk Broads area there is no lack of beautiful places, or wonderful wildlife to photograph.

As I wrote in my profile piece I was born in Norfolk, I know, lucky me, and recently became interested in birding.I'm learning slowly but surely ,only been doing it for about 2 years, and the birders i meet up with have been doing it for 20 or 30 years, so I  feel a little intimidated now and then but they are mostly helpful and friendly.

Today I helped with the Webs wetland bird survey which is done every month, I have been helping with that for a couple of years now,and that is a big learning curve, it is helping no end with my wetland bird id skills.It was a glorious clear day ,although a bit windy.the usual suspects were about,hundreds of Coot,lots of Tufted Duck, beautiful Goldeneye, Great Crested Grebe (I cant wait to see them displaying again)and we saw a Kingfisher dart past the hide, a beautiful sight.I was hoping to maybe see an Otter as a couple of people have seen it in the area, so far I have been unlucky, all the time I spend on the Broads I haven't yet had a good view of an Otter.so with that in mind we took a trip to Barton Broad ( a good place to spot them, I've been told),but on the car park, what a strange sight, 4 Robins in a hedge, 3 of which were striking an amazing pose,they sat there stock still with their heads flung back at the strangest angle, the 4th Robin just sat there watching this strange display, if anybody has any ideas what this could be all about, i would be grateful of their ideas!!Needless to say I didn't see an Otter, better luck next time!!But I did see a male and female Smew!!