To see the dawn of a new day, to smell the clean air freshly brewed by the sea, to feel the dew newly formed as you brush against mother natures dress. There is nothing more promising in a day than when the sun rises over the brink, givng you a cheerful smile, a nod and a wink. For then you know, you really know, that you are alive and it feels very, very good.

Those of you that know me will know that I like taking photos of landscapes & stuff and I also have an interest in Ornithology. So moving to Norfolk has just been perfect. Our house is just 20 minutes from one of the most important coastal nature reserves in Britain at Cley, owned by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust it is the oldest of all the other Wildlife Trusts in the Country and Cley is its first reserve. The best time for birds is in the winter as thousands of migrating birds travel through here.
However the Summer still has great interest and the whole area around this district is just teeming with wildlife.

So here are some photos that I have taken. They are not 100% high standard (my camera lens is not of the power required to obtain that kind of finish) but to those birders out there I believe the photos are of some interest.

So as you look at this small collection of pictures and if you are interested in such things, or know someone who is, go to our website,  www.theoldbakerynorfolk.co.uk   and book yourself a holiday with us as we are now open for business.....

 

THE MARSH HARRIER, lives and hunts on the Cley Salt marshes, eating small birds, chicks and rodents etc. This one is just returning to its nest after being mobbed by some lapwings that were protecting their chicks.

 THE REED WARBLER, can be heard but not always seen as it hides low in the reeds, but every now and then they climb up a little higher clasping on to reeds blowing in the breeze. 

Below a Reed Warbler is feeding a caterpillar to two of its fledglings way down in the thicker undergrowth. These birds are well camouflaged.

SEDGE WARBLER

 THE SEDGE WARBLER is another noisy bird, singing away, always on the move it will flit away in a blink of an eyelid if it sees you. So the answer is not to go to it but wait until it comes to you. I know you will think I am obsessive but I took this photo at 6am, having woken at 5:30 one morning last week with the sun gushing in and unable to get back to sleep I nipped up to Cley and had the place to myself. A vast expanse of reeds, marsh and pebble beach, watching the Marsh Harriers high above and listening to the morning chorus of the birds was just bliss. Everyone should make a point of being alone with nature sometime in the year it feeds the soul!

REED BUNTING

RUSTIC BUNTING

The AVOCET

A delicate beautiful little bird, one that I had never seen before but at Cley they visit as a flock and wade through shallow pools for food on the salt marshes.

This EGRET was once a real rarity but over the last decade their numbers have really increased and they are found throughout the land, almost as common as Herons.

This is a Lapwing fledgling and I put this photo in as a reminder of the harsh reality out on that marsh. I took this picture from within a bird hide and just seconds later as I pointed my camera elsewhere a Stoat came out of the reeds and attacked this bird. The adult Lapwings were up in the air mobbing the creature ferociously but to no avail as within 20 seconds it had dragged the chick, which was easily twice the Stoats size , off into the reeds never to be seen again. My camera focusing was just too slow to keep up with the action and so all I have is this poignant photo of an unsuspecting  bird just seconds from its demise.

This is the Spoonbill, a real treat as it is labelled, in the bird book, as ENDANGERED. With its nearly 5' wingspan and long bill and legs it has a long elongated body in flight. An Avocet is feeding in the background.

Here an Egret sizes up a Spoonbill.

All around this part of the country wild flowers and meadows abound The Poppies are especially good. They seem to thrive in the Rapeseed fields and the field above also had a blue flowered plant growing amongst them creating an amazing mix of colours.

Below is a view of a field just full of Poppies, thousands and thousands of them....

Glorious!

A Great Spotted Woodpecker stores a nut into the side of a telegraph pole.

And with this abundance of flowers nuts & seeds comes further wild life, voles and moles and with those come the Owls.....

We saw this guy as me and my brother were driving along. We pulled up in time to see it devour this mouse or shrew. It sat in the light of the dusk just checking us out before finally flying off, giving me one last glance as it did so. Sorry for the picture quality, but it was getting dark!

So the day is done and as the birds feed on the salt marsh ponds and inlets the sun sets and in the darkness the Oystercatcher lets off its shrill call.

For me this really is the place to be.

FANTASTIC

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