A day off full!

The nearly-full Moon was hanging just above the eastern horizon when I got up this morning: it always looks much bigger when it's low in the sky...

A Nutcracker in Mundesley!

Back in September I posted on the blog that younger birders might finally get to 'unblock' Nutcracker this Autumn: I hadn't anticipated the opportunity would occur in Norfolk! Linda and I left as soon as we could, but parking was already a little problematical. A large crowd (including most of the well-known locals) had already assembled, trying to glimpse the bird through gaps between the houses: after half an hour or so the Nutcracker obliged by perching in a Birch tree for perhaps a minute. 

One little thought: there were a number of people in the best spots who'd seen the bird several times - down to just a couple of metres. It would have been considerate if they'd've moved on as newcomers arrived...

Vaccinated

Being such an old geezer, I was easily persuaded to have both the 'flu and covid vaccines yesterday. Today I feel like I have a good dose of both: I'm glad the weather is too bad for birding, because I certainly couldn't drive!

Moonshot!

Somewhat softened by the thin haze, the waxing gibbous Moon was a beautiful sight in the south east at 19.30 tonight. I've named a few interesting craters towards the south polar region.

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, 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.