A morning at Cley: last cheese scones of the year!

With miscellaneous family commitments predicating against a full day out, Brian, Norman, Linda and I met early and headed north, arriving at Cley by 8.30. First stop was the Coastguards, where a glance at the sea (through the fog!) revealed a somewhat distant Red-throated Diver. A lone sea angler had assembled a decent bag of fish: Whiting, Plaice and Dabs, using - believe it or not - pig's liver as bait!

A walk along the shingle produced a few Snow Buntings and Goldfinches, but little else, so we moved to the Reserve Centre car park, walking out to Bishop's Hide. A vast gathering of Brent Geese filled the pool, but, somewhat surprisingly, the Black Brant wasn't amongst them. Highlights were a mixed flock of Avocets, Dunlin and Snipe: in front of the hide a Little Egret fed industriously.

After coffee and cheese scones, we were about to leave when I picked up a ring-tailed Hen Harrier cruising above the reedbeds: just time for one distant shot.

And so home! A great morning in great company!