Rose-coloured Starling at Happisburgh

 Linda and I drove north through a busy Wroxham to the fast-disappearing village of Happisburgh (pronounced 'Haze- bru'!) The juvenile Rose-coloured Starling that had eluded Brian, Norman and me yesterday was allegedly showing quite well, so - despite the gloomy weather forecast - we thought we'd have a bash. In fact, we didn't have to wait at all: the charming little 'yellow-billed biscuit' was grovelling around a couple of pallets of bricks, on which it eventually perched. It flew off for an hour, before returning to pose on a phone wire before being chased to the far side of the field by a pugnacious Blackbird.

Bonus year tick was a drake Velvet Scoter: no photo, but a kind birder let me have a good look through his 'scope.

Two good Wheatears, but only one photo op.!

With strong easterlies and a male Desert Wheatear reported from Cley at sunset, we started at the 'Beach Hotel' at dawn. Lots of waiting around and some walking led to the conclusion that the target had decamped overnight. However, the pager announced that a female DW was showing by the lifeboat shed at Wells, so we sped westwards, paid the parking fee (enough to redecorate the nearby loos!) and joined a small crowd. After a longish spell enlivened by a Merlin, several Guillemots and a Red-throated Diver, we eventually saw the bird in flight, it having been disturbed by a couple of joggers. (A pale warbler was interesting: was it 'just' a Lesser Whitethroat?)

We elected to return to Cley for coffee, before heading east to Happisburgh, where we quickly realised that the reported Rose-coloured Starling wasn't going to add itself to the list. Accordingly we carried on to Winterton where a longish trek through the southern valley finally gave us a delightful Isabelline Wheatear: good to share it with local birders Alan, Mike & Ian... and so home!

Winnie the Pooh at 100!

Some of you may know that Linda and I were once one of the largest importers / dealers of Winnie-the-Pooh toys and memorabilia in Europe. I was astonished to find just now that our old commercial website TIGGER TRADING is archived online! (You have to navigate through another of my related sites 'The Tigger Pages') You can see the huge variety of delightful collectables that were available twenty years ago... We also published the only complete W-t-P catalogue - still a few in the office if anyone wants one!

Great sea watch at Walcott

With a decent north-easterly and misty conditions, Linda and I took a quick run around our favourite carboot before heading north to Walcott. The terrific thing about this location is that you can watch from the comfort of the car - plus: there is a great little cafe ten yards away!

No Shearwaters, Skuas or Sab's gulls, but a constant stream of Gannets, Eiders and Brents made the trip worthwhile: a few Kittiwakes, Scoter, Auks and a diver added to the entertainment (as did the cute little Turnstones that constantly begged for food!)

Asteroid Vesta

In a brief clear patch of sky at 22.30 last night I managed to photograph the constellation Cetus (the whale) Using 'Heavens Above' for reference, I realised I'd captured the asteroid Vesta on a 20-second exposure.

Tonight's Moon

Tonight the waxing crescent Moon is low in the southern sky in the constellation of Sagittarius. Later, if it's clear around 10pm, it should be possible to locate two asteroids - Vesta and Pallas, both in the constellation of Cetus, the whale. If the clouds stay away I'll have a bash at photographing one or both!

Four million!

Thanks to everyone who visits 'Birds of the Heath' and makes the effort worthwhile!

Wildlife surprises at All Saints...

From time to time Linda leaves a trailcam at the church to add to our understanding of the wildlife that visits when we're not around. Considering All Saints is surrounded by arable land, it's often a real surprise when we check the SD card: below are some recent visitors to the drinking station, possibly the most unexpected being the male Blackcap. (Several correspondents have suggested that No 3 is a Polecat, which - from its smallish size - was our original thought.)

Bayfield Hall sculpture trail

Linda, Sue, Peter and I visited the  annual sculpture trail in the beautiful Glaven Valley parkland of Bayfield Hall. As always, there were some excellent exhibits and some that were a little 'challenging'! The atypically warm weather with a gentle southerly breeze (with numerous pit-stops for coffee and cake) made the morning thoroughly enjoyable. Checking the Cley Bird Club WhatsApp over lunch at the Glaven Bistro, we discovered that the gorse at Walsey Hills was ablaze: sure enough, we could see the plume of dark smoke from the car park...

We finished the day with a stroll around the delightful georgian town of Holt (and more tea and cakes at the Owl Tea Rooms!)