Norwich

Post date: Feb 17, 2010 11:0:47 PM

Norwich has had a bit of a blinder recently, with the Glossy's in the autumn and Whitlingham CP turning up some good waterfowl, its handy to have to work in a city that is generally really nice and has good birds to go and see. Todays first appointment was in Thorpe, so with Sainsbury's up the road pulling in the velvet northern wonders, I took my tea break there. Pretty soon the 19 Waxwings appeared on the other side of the road, keen to strip off a cotoneaster bush between a couple of houses. This initially gave great views but no sooner did I start clicking away an inhabitant of one of the houses decide to slowly get ready for work by sorting out, and ticking over his motor-bike (his prerogative, he lives there he can do what ever he wants!) The Waxys soon got bored(or hungry!) and moved over the road to feed in a less accessible garden, so I left them to it. As I drove out of Thorpe towards the city along the river, my eye was caught by a pink-tinged white bird on the river and after turning around and parking up my suspicion was confirmed, a drake Goosander. The bird had moved, brilliantly on its part, to a short stretch of water which was accessible to view only by precariously hanging off a post to look up or down stream. Top marks for evasive action! Finished in Norwich, and unable to get an interuption free lunch at my office i headed out for dinner break where in Hanworth, after searching most of the winter, I managed to connect with a pair of Marsh Tit in some classic habitat that I kept meaning to check out. At last!