2/11

S – S/E, Sunnny,light cloud later
East Bank

embarking on my mini five day break, kicked off with a seawatch this morning. Before that it was good to see Pat at the centre, such legends suddenly turned up as Bob the Cob, it was like lord of the visitors centre had all his holy children around him. Got down to East Bank, pretty quiet, a distant juv Skua was Arctic, a really close one a fine late adult, lots of Auks passing, 12 Snow Bunting flying along the shingle. Eventually a Great Northern Diver drifted in, got some Cley regulars onto it, have forgotten all their names, distant but spangling on the back and neck band still showing.

It drifted right across giving ok views. The others then left and pretty soon had a juv Pom hussling past at mid distance. After that went very quiet.

Quick stop off at home to get even more baffled by Swift ID then out again along the West side. Settled down to scan the marsh, almost immediately had a male Merlin in hunting mode low over the marsh then doing that thrush flight thing as it landed on some Suaeda. Up again and shooting along low until it bombed straight into a Starling flock taking one down instantly. Was then lost presumably as it plucked its prey on the deck.

Almost immediately though it was replaced by a fine juv male Peregrine again in hunting mode, really well marked bird – looking adult on the upperparts but quite rufousy and finely streaked on the unders. That then headed off to Blakeney and went fairly quiet apart from two Greenshank.

Did the curcuit locating the Tit flock the Yellow-browed had been in, Treecreeper still there andf 1 Coal Tit.

Back round to the Freshes hoping to pick out a Swift. Egret mid-distance with Cows, Three Marsh Harrier up together. Walked the bank – big numbers of Goldies, good old scan no Yankie yet! Went along Blakeney Bank looking for the SEO me and Steve had had yesterday – just no joy and SE now really picking up, headed back with Goldies very agitated, last images big swirling flocks wooshing over my head.