21st August - RSPB Titchwell Marsh, Norfolk

For me the RSPB reserve at Titchwell Marsh is the best reserve along the north Norfolk coast.  It has it all, both freshwater and sea water marshes, woodland, reed beds and of course the beach.  However one thing that has always let it down was the cafe.  As we arrived Helen remarked that this was the reserve with the poor cafe, a hole in the wall and a soulless room to sit and eat and drink your purchases if the weather was bad.  Well as we walked to the visitor centre it was clear this had been addressed.  Gone was the hole in the wall, the wall between the soulless room and the kitchen was gone, replaced by a bar.  You can order in the same room and there is now life in the cafe.  We sat with smiles as we drank our coffee before heading out on to the reserve.

It was a lovely morning, blue skies, lovely fluffy clouds and a warm sun, there was though a fresh breeze that took a little off the temperature.  We followed the footpath out to the beach, walking past several Ruff feeding in the shallow water of the freshwater lagoon.  There were several different plumage types, this a white headed male.

As we walked through the dunes a Wall Brown butterfly teased as it flew around us.  The tide was well out and it was possible to take in the stunning beauty of the beach here contrasting with the blue sky and clouds.

Herring Gulls sat on the sand and I was able to get low down to photograph at eye level.  Gulls are marmite creatures to many, but there is no taking away there impressive stature.

I walked all the way down to the edge of sea.  Terns were moving offshore, all heading in a westerly direction, the most numerous were the Sandwich Terns, here and adult delivers a fish to a juvenile.

The beach was truly big sky country.

Black and white brings out the majesty of the clouds.

An Oystercatcher passing west.

A couple of adult Sandwich Terns, they look very impressive with the white plumage, the crested black cap and yellow tipped bill.

Adult and juvenile Common Terns.

Two adult Common Terns with the red at the base of the bill and the full black cap.

We walked along the beach towards the east with the wind at our backs.  A few Curlew had come down to the water's edge.

But were then flushed by dog walkers.

The tide was falling fast and revealing sea weed and shellfish covered rocks.  This was attracting the waders with the Curlew, Redshank, Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwits and this Bar-tailed Godwit feeding on them.

Still showing some summer plumages the Bar-tailed Godwit is a little smaller than its cousin the Black-tailed Godwit.  The legs are shorter as is the bill.  It has more of an appearance of Curlew in plumage with dark-edged brown feathers.

Here a Black-tailed Godwit for comparison.

The Curlew are very stately as the stand on the beach.

The Bar-tailed Godwit feeding among the Black-tailed Godwits.

And on its own.

We left the beach and walked back onto the reserve.  At the freshwater marsh there was another Ruff, another white plumaged bird again.

We decided to sit on one of the benches rather than fighting for a spot in the island hide.  The view looking east from the bench.

As mentioned Ruff can be extremely variable in size and plumage.  A medium-sized wader with fairly short, slightly drooped bill. Leg color varies from dull greenish to bright orange; bill can be entirely dark or mostly orange. Plumage highly variable, especially breeding males, which have fancy neck ruffs that can be black, white, buffy, reddish-brown, or any combination thereof. Females and nonbreeding birds can be confusing, usually plain grayish-brown overall, sometimes with blotchy markings on the neck and belly. Juveniles are bright buffy with neat scaly patterning on the upperparts. 

A Great Egret flew up from the back of the marsh and headed across the reeds.

Below us in the lagoon a Black-tailed Godwit fed.

Scanning across the marsh I found a single Spoonbill.

The clouds were looking impressive once more.

Again looking even more impressive in black and white.

A Snipe appeared from behind one of the islands.

The white Ruff on the edge of an island.

This Ruff was limping badly, the right leg looking damaged as it would not put weight on it.

There was a group of a dozen Dunlin that eventually came close to us.

A coastal RSPB reserve would not be complete without Avocet.

Yet another looking Ruff.

All the geese flew up from the marsh behind us and we scanned across the marsh for a possible reason.  We picked up a Chinese Water Deer running across the marsh.  We couldn't find what had spooked the deer.  A distant Marsh Harrier was the only one of the day

Later looking across the marsh to the west the sky was looking very threatening, the radar said rain so we decided to head back to the cafe for lunch.

On reaching the cafe the heaven's opened, we were able to get a table, but others were less fortunate, getting caught in the rain.  It had been a good morning and after lunch we decided to head on.