Is That The Hire Car, Or Is It A Shed?

Jim the Medic's text read:-

"How are you getting on in the Garden Shed?"

Well I can tell him, and as promised you at the same time. Pip & Alison Weston along with their lovely teenage children don't live in some sprawling property out in the stick, but own a nicely appointed semi-detached house in a quiet crescent, off the main road in the North Norfolk village of Blakeney. They have been enterprising enough to erect 3 wooden chalet style cabins in a fairly small garden, with one of them given over to a summer house for family use. The other 2 comprise a 'double' and a 'twin' Bed & Breakfast accommodation which, as far as that kind of thing goes, has to qualify as my find of the last decade. Having visited Norfolk off and on for the past 40 years I have enjoyed some fine hostelries including the White Horse at Brancaster Staithe, the Briarfield Hotel at Titchwell and the Ship Pub, but £ for £ this has been the best yet.

On the face of it they are luxury garden sheds, but behind the veil there is far more to them.

Well lite for access in the dark, en-suite, self contained and surprisingly spacious.

The insides are well appointed, with no detail overlooked. Complete with endless hot beverages, comprehensive information packs and fliers, alarm radio, multi channel TV, hair drier etc, etc even down to small items such as a nail brush. Most importantly they are clean and warm., with 2 high power heaters (you only need one) and excellent hot shower. I believe the Weston's base their business on hard work plus 'nothing being too much trouble' and while my needs have been limited, they have allowed me the used of the house to access the Internet, made me cold drinks and are willing to make sandwiches 'to go' when I leave early on Friday morning.

The garden is also well cared for with an excellent, well stocked, ornamental fish pond,

and a palm tree or two and add to this the call of distant Curlew and a seeming never ending stream of Pink-footed & Greylag Geese overflying it is a magical springboard for anyone particularly 'birders'. All of this comes with the biggest breakfast you can imagine (10 items on my plate this morning which doesn't include toast, coffee and juice) and an option to request locally caught and smoked (at Cley) Kippers or Haddock. The price? You won't believe, it's £35 per night as a single occupant or £28.50 per person for a twin or double. My suggestion is you decide on NORFOLK (already well inside my 'top 5') and contact as below, you won't regret it!

Mr & Mrs Pip & Alison Weston

Tel: 01263 741168
Mobile: 07738 297877
Email: alipip@supanet.com

4 Queens Close
Blakeney
Holt
NR25 7PQ

So, ever onward. After a blustery night and the threat of rain from the radio as I munched my way through the breakfast described above, I braved the stiff breeze and made first for

just a few miles up the road, but more importantly the long overlooked

Binham Abbey. It had often been my intent to visit this historic ruin, but just as I set course for the village someone went and found a 'rare bird'. In brief, St Mary's, as it is known, is a ruined Benedictine priory founded in the late 11th century, as a dependent house of St Albans Abbey, by Peter de Valognes and his wife Albreda. Peter was a nephew of William the Conqueror, and after the Norman Conquest was assigned lands in west and north Norfolk.

Like many an ancient building, there is often a fable attached and here there is said to be a Ley tunnel which runs from the buildings to an unknown destination. Many years ago a fiddler decided to explore these passages; he could be heard for some distance before suddenly ceasing., after which he was never seen again.

The neighbouring village to the west is Hindringham where I came across this substantially built Village Hall. With its row of buttresses, and castellated pitched roof it could almost have been built as a fortification, but doubt its very old? In the distant right you may be able to see an early Jacobean hire car!

and on yesterday's subject of 'sugar beet', this is the picture in just about every field gateway hereabouts. The raw product awaiting transportation.

Managing to drag myself away from the architecture, I continued with my plan to visit the Sculthorpe Nature Reserve just a couple of miles west of Fakenham. My first visit, probably a decade ago, was just as the area had been least and work was about to begin on rejuvenating it. Over those years I have seen the management team turn this into a fine reserve which, it is hoped, should continue to hold a its small colony of Willow Tits. A colour-ringing programme, involving both Willow and Marsh Tits, has been underway for a couple of years now and while during that time numbers have fluctuated, at present there seem to be 2 individuals unmarked, hopefully increasing the population. I have never failed to see these birds here, and in addition there is a Golden Pheasant, view that as you may, (never seen by me) and more Tits than I have ever seen on such a small tract of land - I thought of my own visit today, another one won't hurt!

Visiting the feeders were dozens of common birds including

Coal Tit

Bullfinch

Blackbird

and a dozen Long-tailed Tits, unfortunately the maximum number to visit the table together was 9.

All lined up for dinner.

A Long-tailed Tit and what looks like a 'Short'-tailed Tit?

At noon I made tracks for Holme Next the Sea back on the north coast in pursuit of Snow Bunting and Long-tailed Ducks, which my Weymouth informants had kept me posted on. This can be, and was today, a cold place but to make matters worse, just as I reached the low water mark the promised rain started. Light at first, allowing me time to reach the sanctuary of the Jacobean Jaguar, but in quick time it got heavier and persistent - it was time to give up! I did try for a look at Holkham Hall and the surrounding park land, but it was shut to vehicular traffic, so quickly across the road to Lady Anne Drive and down towards the Gap.

In hope of getting some close ups of Pink-footed Geese through the car window, I was disappointed as again they were at some distance. Time to get back to the Potting Shed and prick in those onion sets. So, it's good-night from Bill, and it's good-night from Ben! Weeeeeed!

My new mates down the garden, Bill, Little Weed and Ben

Further On Down The Road - Eric Clapton

After a much needed and comfortable nights sleep, I arrived at breakfast to the strains of Carlos Santana's classic 'Smooth' closely followed by the weather forecaster predicting icy rain. That didn't develop but the day was mainly grey with just a couple of sunny spells and up here there's no getting away from the cold even though what wind there was came from the south. However, further north things had not been quite so kind as Yorkshire, and more pointedly South Cave, had experienced heavy overnight snow, precluding my mate Jim the Medic from getting here to annoy me for a couple of days. The adage is true, "it's an ill wind that doesn't blow somebody some good". Don't forget to get the wine in the post mi lado!

The advert had said that the breakfast would be large, but gargantuan would have been a better description and if I'd seen the notice in the dining room I may well have stayed in my bunk.

Today the plan was to venture a little further afield and follow up on some reports I had received both locally plus by text from Sheila Edwards and Paul Harris. That would involve a fair bit of driving firstly to Cromer at the north east tip of Norfolk, and then south along the east coast with a few sorties inland. On the way there was chance to take a look at some of the villages, including a browse around the streets and in some cases inside and outside of the churches. As an example the village of

is typical, and though no larger than a hamlet as with other Norfolk towns the

church is of monolithic proportions. The large Essex churches I know were founded on the Wool Trade, and I would suspect that many of these here were financed by agriculture.

Happisburg also boasts a lighthouse, and it will be interesting to find out, when I visit them next week-end, if the Lifton's (lighthouse twitchers) have seen this one, I suspect they have.

Stopping for just a cursory look to see if the Waxwings had returned to the feeding place of yesterday, found they had not but soon after the first 'covey' of

Red-legged Partridge came into view. Fairly confiding getting the car into the farm gate was vantage point enough to rattle off a photo or two. Further on down the road,

Horsey Mill hove into view, probably the datum for those seeking Common Crane but despite a prolonged search there seemed to be none today. That was unfortunately the same with 'birders'
which is often the best way to locate these large but oh so elusive Stork like creatures, but there was still plenty of time.

Unlike Horsey, which remains pretty much in tact from when it was a working machine, many of Norfolk's abundance of windmills have been converted to private dwellings of business premises such as this one.

Up ahead there were half a dozen Swans in a field, which around here often means the truly wild version, but again unfortunately they were Mute Swans. and on the subject of agriculture there is none more prominent than

Sugar Beet which is grown in thousands and thousands of acres, then

transported to the factory by huge lorries (this is just one of the smaller ones) where it is

stored and processed in these massive silos.

Eventually I arrived at Cantley and as there was no school today took advantage of their car park. Not totally sure of my next direction I stopped a driver arriving at the same park for directions. He too had come to twitch the same bird, so we made for the marshes together where we came across a group of birders purposefully looking through their telescopes. There were in fact 2 birds of interest, both being Geese

and this photograph taken looking across the railway line to the marsh where they were shows them quite adequately! A Bean Goose (of the Taiga sub-species) is second from left while the Lesser White-fronted Goose is directly below the right hand window of the cottage in the distance. Of course with a 'scope you could almost see them better than this. However, for those with failing eye-sight here are a couple of photies I've blagged from Wikipedia for illustration.

Taiga Bean Geese

Lesser White-fronted Goose

Cantley was the furthest south I was to reach today, and as I started north other Geese on view while heading for Wroxham Broad were

Greylag Goose (already seen in Dorset) and on departure as I rounded a bend there were

c2 Egyptian Geese, looking every bit as though they had just flown in from Cairo, feeding in a field close to the road.

My information told me that there were potentially c2 male Smew at Wroxham something I haven't seen since one on Radipole lake in the late 70's, and would, if seen, likely be the bird of the day?

One was there alright, but like so many of today's quarry, at great distance - keep looking it's there!

Even 'blown up' it takes a bit of seeing, but it did take pride of place but almost lost out to an adult, female Hen Harrier, at point blank range alighting from a field as I was driving, the likes of which I had not beheld before! Continuing to gather information 'on the hoof' as it were, I learnt of a mixed herd of both

Whooper and Bewick's Swans

in roadside fields between Catfield and Ludham only a few minutes drive away. It was felt well worth it to publish

these 4 panoramas as it really was a sight to behold,

the highest total of both species I have ever witnessed together.

There were Bewick's there, honest

and among the throng, of what were about 300 birds, a few juvenile Whoopers.

Last port of call, Hickling Broad, was also a last attempt to see

Common Crane. This is the traditional roost site, where a specially raised observation mound has been constructed, for these birds as it is for up to an estimated 100 assorted Harriers. My best count of the Harriers in the air together was 16 but many more were appearing and disappearing so impossible to tell just how many. The decision was to stay until last light, and in the gloom hope was fading but a Merlin that arrived and perched in a tree was something of a bonus. Others were not so patient and had already left leaving just 7 of us as c17 then c3 straggler Common Cranes flew in from the east, past about half a mile away from us before fading from view. Man, what a finish to another remarkable day.

With 9 additions the 2011 Great Britain List now stands at 131

There was intent to describe the place I am staying, which I can tell you after one lovely night, is great. At some stage I'll get around to that but it's getting late and I could do with my cheese sandwich and glass of Wincarnis - so Good Night!

PS
Yes I know the Clapton classic is Further on 'UP' the Road but that didn't seem to fit.

Everything Neat & Tidy At Titchwell - Sir!

First things first - Thank You for the 'texts' today Paul.

When I left home at 02-45 this morning it was snowing in Weymouth! OK only very light and in minor flurries but nonetheless snow, so what chance Norfolk if almost the most southerly part of England is getting it. Worry, wot me worried, as it got no worse, and after yet a third time (unlucky) looking for the Barn Owl again there was none after leaving Dorchester. Reaching Sandringham at 08-00, the priority was Golden Pheasant* a very hit or miss business here, but happening upon a couple of Derby lads I joined them to wait for a sighting. It didn't happen, but as the * denotes we did hear at least one in addition to which Lesser Redpoll and Brambling were both seen and added to the Year List.

Muntjac too were on offer, our tally being 4, but they were extremely nervous and the only shot possible was through the car wind screen at distance. By 09-30 my wait for the Peasants was over so made my way to the RSPB Reserve at Titchwell where birds, compared to my many visits in the past, seemed nonexistent. By and large just the more common species including

Black-headed Gull,

Shoveler and

Common Redshank whilst a fine looking

Spotted Redshank first of all swimming,

then paddling

and finally wandering along the beach made for some scarcity value, but none of these increased the list. That came by way of a couple of Marsh Harriers quartering the reeds some distance off, and one of what had been c7 Twite associating with a flock of Skylarks, then I turned my attention to the reserve itself. I have no need to pick fault with the RSPB as they serve it up, as far as I am concerned, in copious amounts. Having always considered Titchwell one of the finest in Great Britain, and certainly their 'flagship' reserve it made me wonder where their meddling is all going to end. This is what met my eye as I continued down the main path

what used to be a rugged, undulating bank, likely supporting loads of wildlife has be converted into a symmetrical barrier with what can only be described a military style fence. Yes, the grass will grow and maybe there are ideas for natural hedges, but with the pristine path all neatly dressed with lathes of wood surely it looks more like a park? Then, if that were not enough, this appeared before me

it's what they call 'a hide', which for my money would be better placed

on the South Bank of the Thames next to the Royal Festival Hall, Hayward Gallery or Tate Modern. The doors don't even close quietly -Shuuuuuuush!

Disappointment isn't the word, but taking a straw poll of one or two people wandering around, they seemed to like it so I guess it's me 'out of step', but it will only be a Cerulean Warbler that will drag me back there!

Time for a little light relief, and that arrived as did this smart Water Pipit, not only the first for the year but also the first I have ever photographed.

Down on the seashore and exposed to the biting wind, things were much the same with a couple of large rafts of Common Scoter, an Eider, someone did report a Long-tailed Duck plus very few (at least in Norfolk terms) Waders. None were additions to the list, and all kept their distance but among the few Sanderling, Turnstone, Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover were a few

Grey Plover

and Knot.

Bun and coffee time at the car park, and the

Wood Pigeons, bold here, were laying in wait for scraps

as several Blue Tits were investigating this nest box, maybe as a roost site? But things were about to get much more exciting. Visiting the Choseley Barns, where once Tree Sparrow, Corn Bunting and Yellowhammer outnumbered the Starlings, there wasn't a bird to be seen except I did record Red-legged Partridge but the 'covey' only comprised c3 individuals. There I met 3 likely lads who had ALL the latest information which set me off with a twinkle in my eye. First stop was Lady Anne Drive, historically about the closest you'd ever get to Pink-footed Geese but while there were plenty flying high none had as yet joined the large number of

Eurasian Wigeon already feeding the waterlogged meadows.

Travelling even further east, past the windmill close to Burnham Overy Staithe, there we numerous 'pockets' of Twitchers and Birders alike but if you stopped to talk to only half you wouldn't get home in time for tea! One group though seemed intent on a distant object across the fields and alighted to be rewarded with not one, but 2 Rough-legged Buzzards. It's been a long time (20 years at least) since I've seen one of these beauties, and the analogy of No58 buses sprang to mind.

Cley East Bank was the next port of call, where the fellow my lads had said a Ross's Goose, American Wigeon and Smew might be seen. 'Dipping' on the latter, it was a dash to Muckleburgh Hill, as the light was now fading fast, to where Waxwings were said to be feeding. Alas, they too didn't reach the notebook but what a heart pumping afternoon it had been. Well pleased, and now needing my tea, it was time to slake my curiosity as to where I was going to stay tonight. Advertised as a Wooden Cabin the garden of Pip & Alison Weston who live at

Blakeney, this being the church, the ad went on to say well appointed, cosy, warm, en-suite, comfortable and clean complete with huge English breakfast and 'free' Internet access. For 35 quid a night it sounded like I was on my way to paradise? First impressions are all favourable, and as I write this it won't be long before I test the en-suite and indulge in a little comfort - Ill make my report tomorrow. Till then, I have to admit to another omission from the list of Sparrowhawk yesterday which should have made the total 111. Including today's addition the

GB Year List now = 122 - Good Night!