A rare foray up to North Norfolk, 15 April 2022

We don't often venture up to the North Norfolk coast these days but decided a sunny Good Friday was a good opportunity.

We opted for a walk centered on Kelling Heath and it got off to a good start with a Red Kite over the Holt Road on the way and then a singing Dartford Warbler which showed well close to the carpark. Heading south on an anti-clockwise loop I was rather pleased to find a pair of Firecrests on territory just west of Weybourne station, indeed the male gave me probably one of the best views I've ever had singing like mad right in front of me. 3 Swallows at the station were my rather belated first of the year and some naturalised Kerria was looking lovely beside a path. On our route I also found a Common Toad, a big concentration of 300+ Moschatel plants and Wood Sorrel while Blackcaps seem to now be everywhere. Near the railway line on the return another Dartford Warbler was singing in the comany of 2 Stonechats. An extension loop to Telegraph Hill gave me my first singing Willow Warbler of the year in birches. 

After that a brief visit to the Iron Road at Salthouse resulted in the hoped-for pair of Garganey showing very closely in the roadside dyke plus singing Sedge Warbler, Green-veined White and plenty of Hoary Cress.

We finished at Beeston Common where I had a couple of botanical targets which luckily I found with ease - Barberry and Juneberry within 100 yards of each other and both nicely in flower.

                                                                                                                                     Garganey
                                                                                                                                 Common Toad
                                                                                                                                       Moschatel
                                                                                                                                          Kerria
                                                                                                                              Green-veined Whites
                                                                                                                                  Hoary Cress
                                                                                                                                       Barberry

                                                                                                                                      Juneberry
    

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