Tag: Wading Birds

WNAG Pensthorpe Trip 2026 1: Setting the Scene

An introduction to yesterday’s excursion to Pensthorpe with the West Norfolk Autism Group, setting the scene for several more posts, with a selection of photographs.

Yesterday was the day of the annual West Norfolk Autism Group excursion to Pensthorpe, and we benefitted from excellent weather for the occasion. This post provides a rough outline of the day and a selection of photographs, while I will look more closely at various aspects of the site in future posts.

THE TRIP

I was one of those booked on the coach, which departed from its usual slot near Gaywood Library. We had asked people to arrive promptly so that we could set off at 9:30 sharp, and as it happened everyone was on the coach in time for us to set off a few minutes earlier than that. We arrived at Pensthorpe not long after 10, and once we had our wristbands in place there were only two fixed points to the day – the trailer rides for those who were booked on one of these, in my case at 11:15AM and lunch, which in my case was to be at about 1PM. Other than that, up until departure at 4:30PM the day was to be what we chose to make of it. We arrived back at Gaywood at about 5:15PM, and I walked home.

MY DAY AS IT HAPPENED

With limited time between our arrival and my slot on the trailer ride I deliberately did not venture too far afield at first, starting with a visit to the Waders Aviary, then a walk round some of the closer parts of the site, including the crane and flamingo enclosure and the Monet inspired bridge. Then it was the trailer ride, in a new trailer pulled by a tractor, with a reduced capacity meaning that we had three rides scheduled rather than two as in previous years. Between the trailer ride and lunch I ventured further, getting as far as Kingfisher Reach, where the path meets the route followed by the trailer, before heading back towards the restaurant for lunch. After lunch, which was excellent, I spent the afternoon engaged in further explorations, as well as revisits to some favourite spots. I was back at the coach in good time.

PHOTOGRAPHS

This gallery is just a small selection of the photographs I have from yesterday, designed to give you a hint of what is to come…

An adult avocet in the Waders Aviary
A pair of black winged stilt – there is not much between these and the avocets in terms of leg length but the latter have bigger bodies, which makes the stilt legs look longer.
The gate to the Millennium Garden
Two sculptures – three giant dandelion clocks and a fairy standing on a feather, all in silvery metal.
The Monet inspired bridge
The trailer returning from its first outing.
An old growth oak, one of only three at Pensthorpe to have survived the great storm of 1987.
An oystercatcher loose in a field.
sheep in the shadow of a tree.
A stretch of the Wensum.
A platform with a gull on it.
Another stretch of the Wensum.
bird sculptures
A shepherd’s hut.
A bee visits its part of the bug hotel.
A tufted duck.
Eurasian Crane
Grey Crowned Crane (two pics)
A goose of some description.
Flamingos
An oystercatcher in the flamingo pond,.
Greylag goslings
An avocet chick (one of two I observed in the Waders Aviary)
A bearded tit, another resident of the Waders Aviary.
Three damselflies of different varieties in one picture (until yesterday I have never even managed to get two in one picture).
Swallows nest in the crane hide.
This pic which appears out of position in this gallery was the first time I had got multiple damselflies in one picture.

Bird Pics on the #Inglorious12th

A post for the #Inglorious12th, featuring the right kind of bird shooting – that done with a camera.

INTRODUCTION

Today is August 12th, which is for well-heeled British hooligans the start of the grouse shooting season, known to them as “The Glorious 12th”. For folk like me, who view those who derive pleasure from taking pot shots at birds with utter contempt it is therefore the #Inglorious12th.

SHOOTING BIRDS THOMAS STYLE

I choose to mark today by posting pictures of birds shot the only acceptable way – with a camera. Most of these are from this morning, but I am also including some older pics.

Little Egret 1
The Little Egret that featured a couple of weeks back.

Magpie
A magpie on the path alongside the Great Ouse

wagtail
I was at the racecourse before my colleague arrived with a key, and this wagtail caught my eye while I was waiting.

small wadersmall wader2small wader3small wader4small wader5small wader6

CP1
The first of the new pictures – this and the final cormorant pic are in their correct positions, but some of the rest of the cormorant series are out of order.

Cormorant posing 1Cormorant posing 2Cormorant posing 3CormorantCP2CP3CP4CP5CP6two cormorantsCP and West Lynn churchFlying gullsRavenMoorhen in algaeJuvie moorhen

Jay1
I finish with this Jay – two live photographs and the relevant page from my bird book.

Jay2
The close-up shot.

Jay book page

 

 

A Good Day for Birds

An account of a walk that was dominated by sightings of birds.

INTRODUCTION

I have been out walking again today. The temperature has risen sufficiently of late that I was able to do so without donning a coat (until a few weeks ago, one’s thickest coat was absolutely mandatory for venturing outside).

PART 1: HOME TO HARDINGS PITS

I set off as so often by following the Purfleet to the Great Ouse. The Lower Purfleet provided me with the first ducklings of 2016…

The river was at fairly low tide, so plenty of mud was exposed, which is clearly what attracted this bird (bear in mind that I was shooting across the Great Ouse, as I was walking along the east bank of the river while the bird was prospecting the mud on the west side)…

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The long bill tells me that this one digs for food

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My second effort.

Leaving the river bank to skirt round old Boal Quay I bagged a couple of long range shots of a cormorant with wings extended and a closer up shot of a magpie…

It was just before leaving the river that I bagged my second new species of the day (not dissimilar in size and shape to the first, but different colouring and a different type of bill)…

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As with my first new species I was capturing these from the opposite side of the Great Ouse.

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My last shots of this section feature some Caspian gulls, and a couple of non-avian pics…

PART TWO: HARDINGS PITS TO
GAYWOOD & THE ROOKERY

This was, as expected the least notable part of the walk, but I did get some photographs…

PART THREE: GAYWOOD & THE ROOKERY

Just a few photographs of this little patch of woodland for you…

HOMEWARD BOUND

I headed back the way I had not come, and was rewarded by my third new species of the day…

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Three shots starting with this one.

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A better effort

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My best effort. I felt that the feature image should be one of the newbies and chose this.

During the last few moments of the walk I bagged a few more shots of some older acquaintances…