A brisk walk out to the far end of the reserve revealed that the wader flocks were already leaving their high tide roosts on the pits: nevertheless, the clouds of Knot, Golden Plover, Redshank, Godwits and Oystercatchers were still great to see. A friendly crowd from a west-London RSPB group called us over to see a confiding Snow Bunting - always a delight. A Rock Pipit popped up briefly, as did a few Linnets, Reed Buntings and Stonechats.
Next stop was Holme NNT Reserve. We were the first arrivals, so we strolled eastwards along the dune ridge. Not much about until we reached Thornham, where half a mile before the usual car park we came across a small flock of six or seven Twite. These were almost all 'blinged up': some in red/pink combinations, some with plain metal bands. Nearby was a Water Pipit, the third pipit species of the day!
We slogged back to Holme (meeting a delightful Dachshund on the way!) before continuing on to Titchwell, Here things rapidly went downhill: the reserve was crowded with non-birders - dog walkers, noisy family groups, joggers: every path was jammed! One middle-aged woman by the lunch tables was trying to control five hyperactive terriers, while nearby another visitor was encouraging his dog to try and catch a large rat under the feeders. I know the RSPB has massive overheads to cover (quad bikes, salaries, TV ads etc) but I fail to see how attracting hordes of non-birding dog owners, joggers, Nordic walkers and rowdy children has anything to do with conservation. We left, silently fuming....
Last stop was Stiffkey saltings. This was much more like it: quiet, plenty of birds (Brents, Egrets, Curlews and so on) and no cyclists, dog walkers or footballers.
No comments:
Post a Comment