Desert for starters

The main course today was forsaken for dessert.

We set off to seek out a Bittern but were waylaid by Cart Gap’s Desert Wheatear. I always regard these as November birds; harbinger of winter. Not so this individual, more a forerunner of the new year. On the walk back along the sea wall a surprise Spoonbill flew south. Where had that been? where was it going? What a weird early January it’s shaping up to be. There were some reliables; a Black throated Diver along with a Red throated offshore; three species of swan in one field at Ingham gave Tania a good comparison and a field full of Redwings at Hickling put on a good show.

The work that has been ongoing at Hickling has formed a wonderful flood meadow, full to the brim with winter wildfowl. Perhaps the flood work was too good. The water around Bittern Hide made it unapproachable.

Nearby we searched out up to six Water Deer. For me, they are the most beautiful of our deer species. Small compact and elusive. As we watched the last animal of the day a ghost of a raptor flew over it and into the distance. A male Hen Harrier glowing in the dying light.