Fun and games with a new camera!

As you may have read on here, my Pentax 300 prime has - for some unaccountable reason - become unreliable. One minute it's as sharp as ever, the next it hunts in and out of focus - I've lost some great photo opportunities since the Summer.

Today Linda and I popped into London Camera Exchange in Norwich, where the extremely helpful staff took a look at my lens and suggested possible actions. In the end, though, they offered me such a terrific deal on a Canon EOS R7 and 400mm t/p that I walked out with a whole new set-up. It is soooo different to the Pentax system that I've had to spend all afternoon looking at YouTube tutorials before I could start taking a few photos!

A family day on the North Coast

Linda's son Simon and his delightful partner Jo live in Cromer: we were invited to spend a day with them birding and fossiling on the beach. Meeting in the Visitor Centre car park at Cley, we walked around the reserve and along the East Bank. To be honest, there was very little to excite us, and we decided to drive the short distance to 'Natural Surroundings' at Bayfield Hall. While we enjoyed our coffee, we were treated to the usual close views of Coal Tits, Nuthatches and the usual suspects on the feeders.

After lunch we carried on to Cromer, walking down a long flight of steps through the cliffside woods to the beach. (Sad to see that the 'Banksey' has completely gone) We spent a very pleasant hour finding fossil belemnites (and in my case a beautiful Neolithic side scraper)

We walked back to the cars past Cromer Church (where we enjoyed terrific views of one of the resident Peregrines) to Jo and Simon's house for a final cup of tea.

The birding year, 2024

Another strange year: despite catching up with quite a few scarce and difficult species, this was my lowest total since I started the blog! A trip to Yorkshire with Brian & Norman (the 'Summer Wine Crew') was, as expected, very productive, as were several days out with Peter and Sue. Somehow, though, I managed to miss lots of the expected Shrikes, Skuas, Grebes and passage passerines...

SYNERGY at Burgh Hall

The best way to tackle the 'post-holiday blues' is with some REAL blues! Great venue, great atmosphere, great music!

Garden full of 'gamebirds'

How anyone could bring themselves to shoot any of these beautiful birds for 'sport' is beyond me..
I reckon the Pheasants are refugees from a nearby Christmas shoot: the Partridges are more or less resident these days! The Starling is doing a pretty good impersonation of a Nutcracker: about time we had another - it's been 33 years since my last one!

Vegetarian Christmas supper 'a deux'

Seems strange for Linda and I to be eating alone, but I nevertheless cooked a veggie en croute and all the trimmings, washed down with some decent wine....

Christmas Day birding!

It's a tradition for Linda and me to take a stroll down to the hide at Buckenham Marsh after we've opened our presents: in truth, there's rarely much to see, but it is always invigorating. Today there were lots of the expected Lapwings, Teal and Wigeon, which attracted the attention of four Marsh Harriers and three Buzzards. (Lots of Chinese Water Deer, too!)

We decided to take the long route home via Halvergate, where at least sixteen - possibly more - Cattle Egrets were sprinkled either side of Branch Road.