30th May-1st June 2011
Cathy & I went for a short break staying in a teepee (or tipi, take your pick) at Burnham Deepdale. The main purpose of the trip will become apparent, but the secondary one was to try and at least hear a Quail, now the commonest British breeding bird that I am yet to see or hear.
30th May - Having left Norwich in glorious sunshine, we arrived to the first meaningful rain in over two months. It continued raining all through the evening and overnight. Bugger. We had a nice meal at the White Horse (the first pub I've been to that has its own Tapas menu) and I had a pint of Oystercatcher Ale, brewed by the local Brancaster Brewery. The field behind our teepee was a potato field, scuppering my hopes of a Quail closeby, but we did hear Cuckoo, Tawny Owl and see Red-legged Partridges there.
Cathy & I went for a short break staying in a teepee (or tipi, take your pick) at Burnham Deepdale. The main purpose of the trip will become apparent, but the secondary one was to try and at least hear a Quail, now the commonest British breeding bird that I am yet to see or hear.
30th May - Having left Norwich in glorious sunshine, we arrived to the first meaningful rain in over two months. It continued raining all through the evening and overnight. Bugger. We had a nice meal at the White Horse (the first pub I've been to that has its own Tapas menu) and I had a pint of Oystercatcher Ale, brewed by the local Brancaster Brewery. The field behind our teepee was a potato field, scuppering my hopes of a Quail closeby, but we did hear Cuckoo, Tawny Owl and see Red-legged Partridges there.
31st May - After a brief walk and a few rain showers, I headed off along the coast path around Burnham Norton marshes, where Quails have been heard recently. It was mid afternoon, and accordingly I wasn't successful. It was a lovely day, and I got much more satisfaction from seeing Avocets and Marsh Harrier than I would have at a reserve. I heard a Grasshopper Warbler and saw a 4-spotted Chaser along the bank. Walking inland I momentarily got my hopes up that I had found another target, Marsh Warbler, but it soon became apparent that the mimicry I heard was from a Sedge Warbler. Walking back along some farmland I saw a Stoat.
1st June - On the way back to Norwich we checked out Beacon Hill, seeing some Grey Partridges.
