New UK lifer!

Due to the in laws coming over from France, opportunities for birding have been thin on the ground!

Three short visits in nearly two weeks have left me a bit frustrated but I did make the most of them.

Last Saturday Jen asked if I could nip to the Co-Op in Wells to pick up some bits. I told her as leaving that i would nip to Cley and before she could say no was gone!

I made for rhe beach car park and walked along the shingle to the screen in front of the North Scrape. A familiar face was already in situ - Mr Lee GR Evans no less.

He said hello and we both looked at the White Rumped Sandpiper that could not be further back from us if it tried! To be honest, Jono and I had much better views of the one we found at Titchwell last year. This was so far away that photos were not viable but a useful year lister nevertheless and back home within an hour and half!

Nothing else seen on my way back though a confiding Meadow Pipit on the fence posts was pleasing.

Sunday was given over to housework though I managed to sneak to Sculthorpe but apart from a Nuthatch (one of my elusive year listers!) only a Muntjac appeared.

The week drifted by and I never got out of the house. Saturday was shopping with the In Laws but we finished at 2.30. They were tired and just wanted to watch telly and i was so frustrated at being indoors again that i managed to persuade Jen to let me have a couple of hours out.

All week I had been keeping tabs on a long staying Marsh Warbler at Narborough - about half hour away from me. I checked again and it had been seen in the morning so off I went.

I had heard one (and briefly seen) in Turkey and remembered the amazing song.

The area along the Nar Valley Way was easy to find and a couple of other birders were their too. As per my normal routine, it had been seen and heard only 5 minutes before but has then vanished. 15 minutes went by and nothing. Bearing in mind my limited time I prayed that it would sing and show before I had to go!

Eventually after half an hour the amazing song was heard in a nearby elder bush and a couple of minutes later it flew into the reeds on the opposite bank. Sadly, it did not climb the reeds then vanished again for another 15 minutes so heard but not seen properly!

Finally it flew back in the reeds a bit higher this time. I did get some half reasonable views and a couple of record shots for another UK lifer! Though not great I was pleased considering how hard it is to get any sort of photo shooting through reeds.

Hopefully, I will have a whole day to myself next weekend!