Titchwell Marsh; Thurs 3rd June 2021

This retirement malarkey is busy stuff, trying to fit everything into a sensible and non-working routine!

RSPB Titchwell has been on the list, and still is, for a return visit, and preferably without the Norfolk detour it sent me on, though the lanes were quite nice and rural to view, plus the number of birds in the road, taking forever to move, they obviously weren't used to traffic!

Titchwell is an interesting reserve, not just because its coastal with coastal marshes, but also being on the east coast, is home to WWII bunkers, in varying states of disrepair.

Though the day was quiet, and hot, there was quite a lot of haze around, making interesting photographic challenges.

It was generally quiet on the reserve, but that would most likely be down to the heat, nesting season and a few other factors, the wildlife doesn't live like Noel Cowards description of Mad Dogs and Englishmen. For those too young like me, to remember, here's a link to the YouTube soundtrack...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNTeQkSkc18

To get my release from the house, Mrs PR wanted to take a trip to an old seaside haunt of hers as a youngster, Cromer!

We settled on King's Lynn, and she had a good day sightseeing around there.

Back to Titchwell.

Though it was quiet, it was still an interesting visit, and an enjoyable, but short one, because I had to divert back to Kings Lynn to collect Mrs PR!

There are two tracks, the coastal one and the marsh one, I opted for the coastal one, which gave good views of the fresh and salty water marshes, plus the marsh land to the west and the Great Ouse, and at the far end, a mere 1km from the entrance, a beach.

Just as with my first visit to Burton Mere (see the link for that post; https://community.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/f/all-creatures/276972/rspb-burton-mere-19th-may) this also was more of a reccie, top get a feel for what is there, and it didn't disappoint.

Being quiet, it made the first visit easier, because I could view from the hides, all three on that path, and get a good idea of what can be viewed.

The first hide is Island Hide, which looks over a fresh water pool, and from the photo below, you can see all the way up to the Parrinda Hides, the nearest is also a fresh water viewing point, and the coastal side is salt water pool.

The Parrinda Hides almost resemble WWII bunkers, in the way they are laid out, and the viewing is also good. Sadly, no wildlife photos taken due to the quietness of the pools.

However, after leaving the Parrinda Hides, and heading towards the beach, I did spot a sandpiper on the edge of the 600mm lens range

and another photo, cropped...

Coming towards the beach, at the end of the salt pool, another WWII bunker becomes obvious,

About 20 mtrs from the salt pool is the beach, and my first sighting is yet another bunker, but this one eroded by the sea!

After a short while on the beach, which was very quiet, not just from a wildlife perspective, but human also, I felt a slow return to the car and look over the salt and fresh water pools was the best move.

Low and behold, as I got to the salt water pool, a kestrel appears, it was a quick grab the camera, change lenses and hope for the best!

Then not long afterwards, also on the salt water pool, a first for me, a turnstone.

Initially I thought it could have been a ringed plover in juvenile plumage, but nothing on the web to confirm or deny, and thanks to someone wanting ID on a turnstone that gave me the answer I needed.

This was a heavily cropped photo, but the results were plenty good enough.

And another semi-submerged WWII bunker, at the inland side of the salt water pool

Now, a lesson to be learned from this day, keep the camera ready and poised, not off and hanging down, for a pair of bearded tits, another first for me, presented themselves on the reeds alongside the path!

By the time the camera was on and as soon as I raised it, they flew off....

Oh well, I managed to get this mallard and family having a swim....

I will be back, and armed with what's were, should make for more wildlife to be observed, and photographed...

  • TJS said:

    Hi Mike,

    Glad you had an enjoyable visit toTitchwell, it's a wonderful reserve, my wife saw her first Bearded Tit there on her birthday many years ago. She took me there for my delayed 70th birthday in early Dec last year, delayed by a week by lockdown during November, we had 2 days of constant rain and sleet off the North Sea and 2 lovely days of sunshine. Because we were on holiday we were out in the rain and sleet all day on the reserve and still really enjoyed it. Suffolk has plenty of WW2 bunkers on the coast as well, but not quite such wide open spaces as North Norfolk.

    Sorry you missed your Bearded Tit/Reedling, here's one from Minsmere from last September and I've hardly seen one since.

    Hopefully another chance to visit will present itself soon.

    Best Wishes,

    Trevor

    Thank you Trevor, and also for the pic.

    I think most coastal locations endure harsh weather during the winter, and other seasons also. The east coast generally has a large plethora of WWII bunkers, but then so do a lot of other coasts, particularly the southern coasts. When I was down in Cornwall, there were quite a few bunkers around the coast there and Pendennis Castle, Falmouth, was an active military stronghold until 1956, still has armament batteries from WWII!

    I think its amazing what you actually can see on the harshest of days, and if it wasn't for camera gear not being very weatherproof, I would be out there more often, though I am looking at weatherproof covers.

    In the interim, I do have a weather and shockproof compact, which I bought for those intrepid mountain days where weather and terrain can be questionable....

  • PimperneBloke said:

    TJS said:
    here's one from Minsmere

    Way to rub it in that Mike didn't see one Trevor LOL!

    That's a fab pic mind lol

    Some folk just like to rub things in, just like the Dartford Warbler... Joy

    As rightly you say, it is a super photo.

  • Fortunately the coastal birds don't seem to mind the rain so I did get some quite good pictures , my G9 is weather sealed but I only trust that up to a point. The camera was in a large plastic bag, taken out for some quick shots, wiped down and back in the bag. One tends to wait for nice weather when on your home patch, but being away with nothing else to do forces you to be more adventurous.
    Trevor
  • TJS said:
    Fortunately the coastal birds don't seem to mind the rain so I did get some quite good pictures , my G9 is weather sealed but I only trust that up to a point. The camera was in a large plastic bag, taken out for some quick shots, wiped down and back in the bag. One tends to wait for nice weather when on your home patch, but being away with nothing else to do forces you to be more adventurous.


    Trevor

    I have the Pentax WG-3, which is supposed to be shock and weatherproof.

    Its definitely waterproof, the day I bought it, based on an outdoor magazine recommendation, I dunked it in a bath full of cold water, left it there for an hour, and the battery/SD card compartment was still bone dry, and the camera hasn't faulted.

    As for shockproof, I never did try that, I wasn't too sure what the limits would be, but if it leaked, it would have been straight back to the shop.

  • Hi

    the top photo shows the ruin known as a Merlin perch.

    Then Common Sand and Redshank

    The ruin on the beach is the Purple Sandpiper perch.

    S

  • seymouraves said:

    Hi

    the top photo shows the ruin known as a Merlin perch.

    Then Common Sand and Redshank

    The ruin on the beach is the Purple Sandpiper perch.

    S

    Pete, many thanks for the info on the bunkers, and bird ID's, I've updated my Flickr pages accordingly