Where Avocets Wade White on Blue

 It was another fine morning and I was out of the garden flat by 6.30am to make the most of the day.
Just my backpack, camera and binoculars. I dispensed with taking a jacket as the forecast said dry.

All was quiet in the village as I strode the loop around to Cley (Pronounced as in the word spy)

A Blackcap sang nearby as I crossed the bridge over the river.

I do love the smell of freshly bloomed Hawthorn.

The early morning light is always better for photography before the harshness of the high sun takes command. 

Although little human life stirred, there were others keeping a close eye on me...

As I passed the The 3 Swallows pub and touched the outskirts of Cley, a Whitethroat sang from the wires above me.

The main street in Cley has a few great little shops. A delicatessen, fishmongers and art galleries, along with the obligatory pub.

It's also famous for it's windmill. This has been converted into accommodation. We will stay here one day. It looks fantastic.

There is a path that follows the ditch towards the visitor centre, which is fortunate as there are few footpaths along the main road which can get a little hairy at times on blind bends.
Either side of me reeds grew. A confiding Jackdaw strutted in front  picking insects from the vegetation.

The visitor centre wasn't due to open for another couple of hours so I took the reed fringed path into the reserve and to the 3 thatched hides located around the scrapes. The reeds were as tall as me along the boardwalk and I could hear a Sedge Warbler deep within them. With a little patience, they can gradually climb to a higher perch and into view. This was the closest it would allow me so I decided on the first of the hides a few metres away.

The view before me as I raised the shutter in the darkness of the hide was a calm serene scene.
The only ripples on the water were being made by feeding Avocets. There were three or four pairs here.

This was a really chilled out time. Everything seemed so relaxed in the warmth of the sun and stillness of wind.

Most of the Avocets were on eggs.

There were a few other waders around. Distant Black Tailed Godwits.

Some were feeding, delving deep to the mud beneath the surface, occasionally lifting out and consuming their prey.

It was changeover time on one Avocet nest which gave a great opportunity to see and count the four eggs that rested there.

The adult soon came to take on their early parental duties and brood them.

There was another chap in the hide. He was recording the Avocet numbers around the area. They are bucking the trend and doing very well. There were at least 50 nesting pairs here this year.

As I swapped hides and came back out into the light, I could hear the unmistakable electronic 'pinging' calls of Bearded Tits. They were distant but I could make out a male in view and a female deeper into the reeds.

Views from the other hides gave a similar calming scene. The sun rose ever higher, a hazy humid glow silhouetted the birds.
A group of Black Tailed Godwits congregated in the middle of the scrape.

Along the edges of the water it's always worth looking out for Sandpipers feeding in the shallow shore. This is a Common Sandpiper.

I left the cluster of hides to head around to the furthest single one on the opposite shore.
The Sedge Warbler was still chattering away in the reed forest. I managed another sneaky peak through to it's perch.

Further along the boardwalk a beautiful male Reed Bunting sang from a slightly more open position.

He was in perfect Summer plumage

I had left the boardwalk and now began walking the gravel path parallel with the ditch and road.
Even more warblers sang out their territories. Another Sedge Warbler showed up. Much more obliging but a little way off. 

Next up was a Reed Warbler.

In the fields to the rear of the visitor centre Red Legged Partridge scuttled around.

And so into the last hide in the main scrape area. The sun was behind me now. Much better for photography.
A lone Greylag stared me out as I entered the hide.

Two Ruff were feeding out in the mere with a rare Little Ringed Plover on the shore next to the Avocet.

There is water surrounding the hide which can give great close ups such as this male Gadwall. Such a delicately decorated duck and often overlooked.

The Little Ringed Plover were nesting here but stayed well away from me on the far shore.

The visitor centre was open so I headed for a coffee.
The extension that the Norfolk Wildlife Trust were building when I was last here was now complete. Providing gallery and conference areas. It has a wonderful Sedum living roof too. This is truly one of the best visitor centres in the country, providing a commanding view across the reserve to the shore beyond.
The centre itself has a great shop and cafe. They just need to brush up on their vegetarian options. Not everyone wants a bacon bap for breakfast !

The coastline goes on forever here. You need sturdy boots and sturdy legs to walk the endless beaches and paths.
I left the centre and walked the East Wall towards the shore.
More Reed Warbler sang from the reeds again with even better views.

The East Wall cuts across the reserve with reeds to the left and flooded fields and scrapes to the right.

A distant white bird turned out to be a Spoonbill. There's always a great chance to see one here.

Still plenty of nesting Avocets around also.

I reached the shore and looked back at the path I had trodden.

The view out into the North Sea was very hazy. I could just make out a line of Gannets gliding East.

The Spoonbill still sat on the marsh as I decided on my next move.
Should I continue further East and walk in a loop inland?

I sat next to the Bladder Campion and consulted my map.

It's a hard slog walking a deep stony beach, especially one as long as this but I was up for the challenge. There was a halfway house for refreshment to give me an incentive.

It wasn't too far before I could pick up a solid diagonal path back towards the road and The Dun Cow pub at Salthouse.
After much needed refreshment I picked up the footpath behind the pub and up into hills and farmland.
Honesty was in full flower along the hedgerows.

The views from the top of the hill gives a good idea of the landscape but it was still quite misty and I didn't like the look of the clouds. A bit too grey for me !

Plenty of Skylark peppered the fields

The Hawthorn or Maybush sweet smells wafted me down through the hills.

And an occasional Hare could be seen where the earth was bare.

I was hoping for a Grey Partridge but to no avail

As the path lowers and meets the road not far from the visitor centre there is a large lake. I was surprised to see two male Pochard here.

These lovely chestnut headed ducks with a deep red eye have been recently added to the red list of critically endangered species in this country. There are only 680 breeding pairs in the UK. Many in Eastern Britain and some in Scotland. In Winter these numbers swell to around 38000 thanks to birds overwintering here from Russia and Eastern Europe.
My plan was to walk further along the coast path heading West to Blakeney as it was only just past lunchtime. The only problem was some of the unforecast wet stuff began to fall and I was without coat or camera cover. I had passed the visitor centre and my nearest haven from the rain was The George Inn in Cley itself. Oh well, there are worse places to be shipwrecked I thought as I tried to stuff my camera inside my fleece.
After a couple of scoops at the pub the rain had abated but it still looked threatening, so I called it a early day and headed back to the flat.

It gave me a chance to sift through the photos whilst admiring the comings and goings in the garden.
I was told about the one legged Pheasant. It was outside feeding. It did actually have two legs but one was clearly damaged and unusable so it hopped around the garden in quite comedic fashion.

It couldn't bend down very easily so fed out of plant pots that were head height and had spilled seed from the feeders above.

I don't always get to see them so close. They are quite beautiful animals.

As are the Stock Doves. Constantly in the garden and some males showing amorous intentions to the females too.

A nice early night. Drop of red wine from my genial hosts and a look back over a short but fulfilling day.
It was my first time visiting Cley in Spring. Normally Winter is a better time, certainly in bird numbers and different species but I was pleasantly surprised, plus it's great to walk here in a T shirt for once and not thermals. Note to self though...bring a raincoat and camera cover just in case next time !

The title of this post is a line taken from the poem Noirmoutier (For I Like The View) by Egal Bohen

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/noirmoutier-for-i-like-the-view/