10-17th August, A family week in Norfolk

A summary of a week in Hempstead, near Holt, Norfolk, with our daughter and her partner and our three adorable grand-daughters. We planned with some care, a location with activities to suit us all and a large enough property so that we each had enough room to escape for some peace and quiet when needed, it turned out to be perfect and even the weather was kind!

A tiring drive down on busy roads was dealt with and the holiday began in earnest on Sunday morning, we headed to nearby Cley Next The Sea and a renowned nature reserve. Even at a time of year when sightings can be difficult the day passed quickly and we had plenty to see.

A black tailed godwit...

A beautiful peacock butterfly....

A green sandpiper...

We kept getting glimpses of marsh harriers, unfortunately too far away for photographs most of the time until this one settled in a shrub...

We also had a sighting of a rare red necked phalarope, a gorgeous little wader which stayed well away from the camera.

Lovely warm weather and a couple of showers in the evening did nothing to spoil a great first day.

Monday and Holkham for us, all that is needed for a great day out with beaches, scrubland and woods to walk through. A lovely hall set in splendid grounds also offers lots of other attraction for families of all ages, highly recommended!

We walked along the edge of the woods, plenty of butterflies and other things to entertain us...and to test my sparse knowledge and ID guide later!

A slightly battered gatekeeper...

A speckled wood....

A female ruddy darter...

A comma...

and a painted lady....

Rumours of barn owls near our home for the week meant I had to try at least one early start to see if I could locate them.

Out before 6.00am the next day I maintained a patient vigil from field edges for the next couple of hours, my only reward...a swallow before it began its flights for the day.

Oh and legs that looked as if I had been walking through razor wire, the shorts were not a good choice for bramble lined paths...ouch!

We chose a boat trip to Blakeney Point to see the seals that congregate there.

The longer nosed grey in the water...

And the common seals in moult on the beach...

We were also lucky enough to see sandwich terns hunting and diving like arrows into the tidal waters...

Another short walk at Cley brought us a sighting of a young reed bunting...

With family bbq's and games of cricket on the lawn back at our property the evenings were lively and fun.

On Wednesday we had a family sized boat booked for a few hours of cruising down on the Broads, departing from Wroxham was not too nerve shredding and the sedate pace was soon settled into.

With the girls to entertain and be helped as we all took turns at steering, I didn't get too many opportunities for wildlife photographs. When we moored for lunch however I found a quiet spot and an Egyptian goose near, formerly escapees they are now firmly established in the area..

Great crested grebes are numerous as were my attempts at getting photographs of them, this is one of the few to survive the editing!

A laughing cormorant was on hand to welcome us back from a great day on the waters as we successfully navigated back to Wroxham..

RSPB Titchwell was the chosen destination for Thursday and Friday, noted for water voles which we have never seen.

Prominent early on were black tailed godwits...

Avocets sweeping the shallow water for feed with their upturned bills...

A ruff....

Lapwings had been nearly every day, this was the best photograph I got of one...

Occasionally we saw goldfinch...

Spoonbills were present and seen but only at long distance, little egrets came much nearer though..

Spending time by the pond most noted for water voles we were visited by a splendid southern hawker...

And eventually as a reward for patience and persistence, or maybe just luck, a sweet little water vole appeared...

Apart from the small drama of a power cut back at the house which meant a hasty drive for a takeaway meal, the last day was as good as the others...a superb holiday and a safe drive home for us all. We brought back lots of photographs, these are a small sample and I hope you enjoy them.

Above all we brought back lots of brilliant memories and we will return to Norfolk.

Many thanks to all who read, don't forget if you do feel like adding a comment, they come to me first for approval.

13th-15th April 2013, A warm weekend at last!

A forecast for a warm and sunny weekend co-incided with a decided lack of opportunity for decent walks so some planning was required. With a long trip to Scotland next month we needed to do some shopping and an afternoon trip to Leeds was on the menu, I escaped to the canalbank early in the morning to top up my patience reserves!

Good early sightings of dunnock and chaffinch were encouraging..

The paths have dried well, the sun was shining and all was well....

The lovely and quirky moorhen always gets my attention..

A rook, very similar to the carrion crow but distinguishable by the grey bill, crows have black bills.

A little wren gathering nesting material, I cannot imagine the leaf being too comfy but some moss will no doubt be added!

Further on a greylag goose was doing the same job but on a larger scale, obviously!

And finally nearly back at the car, a delighful robin burst into full song despite nearly being blown from its lofty perch..........

On Sunday we had dedicated the day to looking at cars after deciding we would like a change, my only wildlife came in the form of a starling in the garden..

And so to Monday and finally the chance to get out for a decent walk, Barden Bridge by the river Wharfe was my chosen location. It was very windy but at least the direction was southerly and warm and a light fleece was the only jacket required.

A beautiful common sandpiper appeared quickly, just a shame the foamy water spoils the shot a little..

Reaching the shelter on the eastern side I paused for a snack and a drink, the food placed here by staff and visitors attracts many birds...first a pheasant.

Then a nuthatch..

A chaffinch....

A blue tit..

Another nuthatch..

Another chaffinch..

And a great tit..

Walking on down into the sunny glades of the woodland I found my first butterfly of the year, a comma..

The lovely grey wagtails are back in numbers..

I crossed the bridge by the pavilion and headed back up river, looking carefully through the trees I got fairly close to a spectacular mandarin duck..

Another short respite stop brought me a close sighting of a coal tit..

Birdsong was ringing out all around me, chiffchaffs and willow warblers to the fore although try as I did I could not locate them.

Curlews were in flight and I chanced a quick shot of one that came near enough..

The woodland flowers are starting to bloom, this is a wood anemone...

Another nuthatch sighting as I walked..

And a great tit too...

The pretty colours of coltsfoot...

And finally I reach the bridge near the car park...

A great walk in the sunshine and I joined my raptor watch friends for a short while and was lucky enough to catch sight of a goshawk!

Lets all hope this warmer weather continues for a while and we can all enjoy our walks and wildlife.