On the first full day, Wednesday, things weren't looking good. a depression was hanging around somewhere and it caused the wind to come in from the north-west. Now for Spring this is the worst direction the birds, at this time of year are coming from the south and east. Any facing wind will stop bird migration as the birds don't want to fly into the wind.
But I decided to persevere and spent the day at Cley Marshes. This is usually a good place for migrant waders, that come to feed on the scrapes, so it was worth a look.
However on the pools there was little to report, with maybe around 10 RUFF on the entire site. When I first started birding 20 years ago numbers of these birds were often in and around 50 +, which shows what a massive decline they've had at their nearest nesting grounds in Holland in recent years.
AVOCETS were about on all the pools, and there were around 10 pairs of REDSHANK, which might start nesting soon. On the grasslands LAPWING were often indulged in aerial battles, to chase off anything flying above where they were nesting.
One of the scrapes at Cley
On Arnold's Marsh, a large scrape just inland from the sea a flock of DUNLIN and RINGED PLOVERS were present with single numbers of larger waders, such as CURLEW and GREY PLOVER.DUCKS were in small numbers with mostly just breeders left, but a large flock of BRENT GEESE were still present constantly commuting to different areas around the coast.
On the sea nothing much was about, with just a lone male COMMON SCOTER.
On the Cley Eye, a little hill that arises amongst the marshes, a pair of BROWN HARES, were running about, acting in their crazy courtship dance.
After I had finished at Cley I decided to walk Blakney Point a shingle ridge that pokes into the sea. Now walking on shingle is like taking one foot forward for every two back, and by the time I had walked a mile, it became quite obvious I wasn't going to make it. I have to admit I am unfit and Blakney Point defeated me.
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