Friday 18^th February (A Cool Wash)

Mr. Kite looked out of his bedroom window onto a cloudy sky and Rabbits on the ground. Earlier Mr. Kite had listened to the hooting of a Tawny Owl.

At ten o clock Mr. Kite and his lady started their journey to the South Beach at Heacham. This was only a few miles away so soon they were parked in an empty car park fifty metres from the sea defence. Mr. Kite took his super telescope, and lady, on the sea defence and put the scope on the tripod.

The view was amazing, although the South-easterly wind was cool. Looking out over the mud the shallow dark rippling North Sea was in the distance with a grey cloudy horizon. Behind the car park was empty, the doughnut cafe closed, the burger bar deserted but in front the whole area was alive and well. Gulls were sitting in the shallow water occasionally moving to the shore to peck at a shell. Wader’s poked their long bills into the soft watery sand to locate worms, and then extract them to eat, before rinsing their bill in the cold salty water. In the distance vast dense clouds of Lapwing and Golden Plovers flew into the air, circled, turned and then landed on the mud turning into the chilly breeze.

Mr. Kite was happy to watch all this and groups of Oystercatchers and Bar-tailed Godwits searched the mud and the waders fed in the shallow water. Mr. Kite looked very carefully at the Godwits trying to identify a Black-tailed one; but could not. After half an hour it was time to move onto the North Beach.

Luckily the holiday makers were still at home saving their money and looking forward to the day when they too can go to the North Beach and enjoy the amusement arcade, club with discos and the chip shop. Mr. Kite and his Lady were the only ones near the beach, on the beach or even wanting to go on the beach. The caravan parks were closed and all the buildings shut up and locked; it was peaceful. Mr. Kite took his telescope to the beach and looked at a group of dark bellied Brent Geese feeding in shallow water. These geese looked sombre with their black bodies and head with just a little white streak on their neck. Sometimes one of them would make a nasal ‘kroonk, kroonk’. It was not long before the bird watchers were cooler than cool and then returned to the warm holiday home before driving onto Hunstanton.

Arriving at the Victorian Seaside Town of Hunstanton Mr. Kite drove along the quiet seafront and parked near the light-house. Within seconds Mr. Kite was surprised to see a gull-like bird gliding and soaring with stiff straight wings. This stocky bird with a white head was a Fulmar. This petrel then sat on the cliff top where it’s nose tube could be clearly seen.

In the bracing wind Mr. Kite set up his telescope on the top of the fenced off cliff and scoured the vast expanse of mud and North Sea. With tears in his eye from the biting relentless wind Mr. Kite resolutely, and methodically, searched for birds he had yet to tick off. Soon he had located one stocky thick-billed Grey Plover moving across the sand stopping to feed before moving on. Lastly a group of Turnstones quickly walked along the waters edge turning stones and feeding. Now even keen and dedicated bird watchers have to call it a day. A man can only take so much cool wind; but The Wash is a cool place.

Now Mr. Kite has now identified fifty species since arriving in East Anglia. To celebrate his half century Mr. Kite enjoyed a tipple of Badger’s Golden Champion. Cheers and looking forward to the next fifty species.