Horsey Hen Harrier and the end of an era...

Needing to pop across to Potter Heigham, I thought I'd have a whizz round to Horsey to see if the Cranes were about: they weren't!

A stop at Waxham revealed that the new owners of 'Shangri-La' have demolished this iconic landmark: it was here, donkey's years ago, that I saw my first Pallas', Radde's, Dusky and Yellow-browed Warblers and where Ring Ouzels and Tree Sparrows were once guaranteed. Here also I saw my first Norfolk Camberwell Beauty, roosting in a tree in the cottage garden.

Driving back towards Horsey, I stopped to enjoy the sight of a dustcart in a bit of a predicament: spot of Schadenfreude, here, but I'm not a massive fan of the way some drivers crawl along in the middle of the narrow roads around the Heath, forcing other motorists into the side.

As I was recording this sorry scene, two Harriers cruised over the fields: a very dark Marsh Harrier and a somewhat distant ringtail Hen Harrier. Vast skeins of Pink-feet were dropping in all the time....

A quick look at Filby Broad failed to reveal the reported Red-necked Grebe, but eight Herons in a field was interesting, as were Goldeneye and Great Crested Grebes displaying on the broad.