Trimingham and Cley Marshes

The lure of regional Beeeaters grew too much and at the first opportunity Mal and me decided to trundle up to investigate. I wasn't expecting to be enthralled by Paul McCartney at Glasto, which made the 01:15 bedtime a worry when the alarm was set for 04:15! Still; only nature is real and sleep is for the weak*

* and well rested

After all; what is life without birds, bird watching and good friends? I don't actually know. 

We arrived onsite having seen the famed 'golf ball' aka air defence radar - which is more timely than ever given the Russksies are playing up.

The RSPB set-up around the Beeeaters favoured quarry was ideal. With a well distanced watch point - not too close to disturb the birds and not too far away to not be able to view, photograph and enjoy. I'd forgotten what absolute stunners Beeeaters are - which seems like a slightly stunted thing to say - but it is almost exactly 20 years since I last saw one! 

That 20 years ago was as a fresh-faced, care free, eighteen year old doing nest protection on the County Durham birds which bred at Bishop Middleham quarry nature reserve. Here's a scan of a snap of one of those birds - given to me as a thank-you for volunteering... 

Beeeater Bishop Middleham 2002

20 years on and as a less fresh-faced 38 year old, it was just as enchanting to watch 4 birds flit around the quarry, perch up on bushes and wires and visit the nest hole. I saw several types of bee devoured, a Red Admiral and also at least one instance of copulation (on a Sunday morning!). A great sign and fingers crossed for plenty more Beeeaters in years to come. Some in Suffolk would be nice...

Beeeaters - Trimingham - June 26th 2022

Beeeaters - Trimingham - June 26th 2022

Beeeaters - Trimingham - June 26th 2022

After the giddy heights of Beeeater it's hard to calm down to a socially acceptable level - so we decided to decompress, round the bend, at Cley Marshes. This proved an executive decision and a birding coup; Curlew Sandpiper, Spoonbill fest, Mediterranean Gulls, Sandwich Terns and my first ever Norfolk Hawkers! Very, very cool and thoroughly enjoyable - even through the daydream-haze of sleep deprivation and Beeeater induced colour blindness. Mal and me don't know everything - but we know how to bird watch... 

Norfolk Hawker - Cley Marshes - June 26th 2022

Spoonbill - Cley Marshes - June 26th 2022

Pensive and also brooding adult male - Cley Marshes - June 26th 2022

Drinker Moth caterpillar - Cley Marshes - June 26th 2022

Spoonbill - Cley Marshes - June 26th 2022

Redshank - Cley Marshes - June 26th 2022

Sedge Warbler - Cley Marshes - June 26th 2022

Coot - Cley Marshes - June 26th 2022

Highly elite wildfowl - Cley Marshes - June 26th 2022

Spoonbill - Cley Marshes - June 26th 2022





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