At 5.30 we set off and arrived at our first port of call - Titchwell - at 7.30. We were one of the first there and on the path to the visitor centre heard a Yellow-Browed Warbler but vies were impossible as it was just too dark.
Making our way down to the marshes and we were given excellent views of various waders with the highlights being a fine plumaged Grey Plover (though distant) and a Water Rail chasing a Jack Snipe - both great birds!
After a bit of sea watching with Red Throated Diver and Gannet with Oystercatchers, Sanderlings and Turnstone on the beach.
On the way back we had excellent views of a very confiding Curlew.
I am afraid that from a photography point of view this was about the end of my day but from a birding perspective it was just the start.
On our walk back to the visitor centre we met someone who had seen briefly the Yellow- Browed Warbler on the Meadow Trail so seeing a few birders scanning the bushes we knew we were in the right place. Eventually, this little warrbler flew from one bush to another giving us brief views, a lifer for me and bird 198 on Jono's year list.
Next to Burnham Overy which was a fair bit quieter though we did see a Wheatear and a pair of Stonechat.
We decided to move to Holkham and re-mortgaging our houses to pay for the car park we walked along the path to Washington Hide. A flyover pair of Spoonbills and a late Hobby were the highlights but the hide felt like an OAP home so we moved on to Tower Hide with little doing here apart from decent flocks of Greylag Geese.
On Friday we had reports of a Red Breasted Flycatcher at Warham Green and after a little indecision decided to give it a go.
After parking, a fair walk to a copse where around 20 other birders were all staring into the trees. Eventually, the flash of white and another lifer for me and bird 199 on Jono's year list.
By this time Jono was parched so a quick pint of Growler on our way home helped the cause. I had suggested that we stop at Lynford Arboretum where Two Barred Crossbills had been seen. This was not out of the way and so we called in.
Within a few metres of the visitor hut we saw a few birders staring to the top of the larches. No Two Barred Crossbills had been seen but we did get Common Crossbill - another lifer for me and the magic 200 up for Jono!
All in all a superb day yet again with 89 species (without a number of common birds) and 3 lifers in a day.
Life is grand!!!
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