A damp morning on the North Coast: Egrets everywhere

With a very unpromising weather forecast, Brian, Norman and I headed up to Cley, starting with a seawatch at the Coastguards. A few Red-throated Divers loitered close inshore, with a stready passage of Scoters and Gannets halfway out.

While the other two drove round to the Centre, I decided to walk instead, being immediately rewarded by eighteen or so Cattle Egrets between the west and Blakeney banks. Half a dozen Little Egrets were mixed in with them.

After close views of three Kingfishers from Bishop's Hide and our usual scone and coffee stop, we took a quick look at Salthouse before heading west to Holkham. Here we added at least ten more Cattle Egrets and two Great White Egrets to the day's tally, as well as a possible continental Coal Tit: it certainly lacked the usual olive-green mantle and had a small crest.