Shopping Trip To Swaffham

Local Sightings – Wednesday 31^st December 2014 

Our last outing of 2014! As usual it tops and tails a shopping trip, this time to Swaffham. It was dry, bright and there had been a sharp frost although the temperature was beginning to rise.

We left home about 1.15pm and we hadn’t got very far out of Watton when Jan noticed two Buzzards gliding over the main road near the turn off to Little Cressingham. They weren’t very high up and because of the traffic we didn’t get a chance to observe them for very long. We carried on down Peddars Way and parked up in a corner of a field. We saw two male Bullfinches, Great Tit and a Chaffinch then Jan spotted a Buzzard sitting at the top of a tree. It was quite a distance from us and in all likelihood it was one of the two we had seen at the junction. 

It was now about 1.30pm and the half Moon we could see was low in the sky and looked enormous, it must have been an optical illusion because as it climbed higher it grew smaller but we did manage to get a few pictures of it.

Moon At Little Cressingham At 1.30pm (Yes - Early Afternoon)

Moving on we paused at the river and there was quite a bit of bird movement but the only positive ID was a Robin. We drove further on along Peddars Way to South Pickenham and disturbed another Buzzard sitting in the trees. Carrying on along Peddars Way between South and North Pickenham we saw a number of Redwings fly over the road. We stopped to have a look at them and there appeared to be a couple of dozen at most because they were concealed by the growing crop of Winter Wheat and then all of a sudden they were spooked by a Sparrowhawk who obviously had her eye on a tasty meal. The couple of dozen we thought there were turned into a flock of 60+ as they took to the sky (collective noun for Redwing is a crowd). I think the Sparrowhawk was as surprised as we were at the number of Redwings and went away empty clawed this time.

We went on into Swaffham and did our shopping and by the time Jan had finished it was about 3.30pm so we made our way to the road at Hilborough that joins the Mundford - Swaffham Road with the Watton Road. We parked in our usual place and had our coffee. We’d been there a little while before we noticed a Kestrel sitting on top of a dead tree. It didn’t appear to be watching anything so we presumed it had just eaten and was sitting as raptors usually do. It was there for quite a while before disappearing while I was scanning another tree. Jan saw a dead Muntjac Deer by the roadside along with a dead Pigeon.

We sat there until about 5pm. Jan heard several Tawny Owls and I caught glimpses of 4 Barn Owls (probably the same two twice) but they were a couple of fields away. I also saw a Hare making its way along the bottom of the hedge. Just before we went I could just make out a Muntjac Deer making its way through the long grass and dead Ferns.

Sunset At Hilborough

We returned home and just after the camp at Bodney came across a Barn Owl hunting the roadside verge and later on travelling through Threxton we saw a Hare and a Rabbit in a field.

May Jan and I take this opportunity to wish all our readers and followers a Happy, Healthy, Peaceful and Fruitful New Year in 2015.

Quiz answers next time. Keep those eyes peeled and good spotting in 2015.