Another drive in Norfolk, this time back to London along the A10 & as I pass 10 Mile Bank near to the turning-off for Southery I see a field of white blobs which I quickly realise are swans. Fortunately a side road is conveniently placed so I pull-over & with another slice of good fortune I have my telescope in the car (it usually stays in Norfolk) which allows me to scan the distant field. I see at least 50 Bewick's Swans feeding up before their roost, presumably on the nearby Welney & Ouse Washes reserves; a good tick for me, one I disappointingly didn't pick up when I visited Welney a few weeks previously.
Even better, as I continue to scan the crowded field I pick out a tall, elegant grey bird which is easily identified as a Crane, the first I have seen on British soil! I had read of attempts to reintroduce them in Norfolk, apparently centred on Lakenheath & Pensthorpe but to see one at large as if a native bird was a great, exciting spot, & I watched for a good while as it fed serenely & the light faded. Although usually amazed at the wildlife I see during everyday travels, a crane was on a whole other level, even better than the barn owl the day before, & will cause me to be doubly alert from now on.
No comments:
Post a Comment