A Blustery Afternoon

Great Hockham, East Wretham, Croxton Heath, Ickburgh and Bodney

Sunday 12^th April 2015

Garden Update

Male Yellowhammer

There was a pair of Yellowhammers in the garden today, which is their first visit in 2015. We’re still getting the pair of Reed Buntings, Stock Doves and we’ve had a pair of Chaffinches as well as a single Greenfinch as regular visitors over the last week or so.

We left home at 2.35pm it was a bright and breezy afternoon, the temperature was 17˚C. As we were approaching home about 6.30pm it clouded over and eventually did rain. I never feel that confident when it is a blustery day and today was a quiet day as far as sightings go.

Lesser Celadines & Primroses

We did what we call our triangle at Great Hockham and we were quickly rewarded with a roadside Muntjac that eyed us with some curiousity before half making off. We didn’t see very much around the rest of the triangle, at one point we stopped and heard a fair bit of birdsong but apart from a few fleeting glimpses didn’t see the birds.

Fowl Mere

Spring Lambs

Carrying on by East Wretham Village Hall we saw Long Tailed Tits, Great Tit, Chaffinches, 2 Egyptian Geese and and an Indian Runner Duck being herded back after an escape bid. We continued towards Croxton Heath seeing a Buzzard and a Magpie before having a stop at the Devil’s Punchbowl for our coffee and refreshments.

Thetford Forest Near The Devil's Punchbowl

As Jan has work tomorrow we started to make our way home having a stop at Ickburgh where we saw a very dark (almost black) Cock Pheasant who was also missing his white neck ring. It was beginning to get very dark and looked like rain was imminent. We saw 2 Mute Swans on the River Wissey.

We turned South from the B1108 on to the Great Cressingham Road towards The Arms, Bodney. As we looped back round to the B1108 we saw 2 Buzzards, a Jay, a Hare, Pied Wagtail, lots of Corvids, Wood Pigeons, Pheasants and Partridges.

Pied Wagtail

As we finished our journey we saw a Kestrel and a Heron.

This is what we saw:

Great Tit

Long Tailed Tit

Blue Tit

Robin

Chaffinch

Magpie

2 Egyptian Geese

3 Buzzards

Kestrel

Heron

Pied Wagtail

2 Mute Swans

Muntjac Deer

Hare

Spring Lamb

Keep your eyes peeled and good spotting.