Wednesday 6^th February (Sandringham; Will the Royle Family Join us, My A**E)

Mr. Kite looked out of his bedroom window onto a lightening clear sky with the sun rising over the roofs. Today Mr. Kite, and his lady, were heading to East Anglia so he was quite energetic and happy.

The ride to the East took four hours driving through sunshine, fog and drizzle; but the sky always looked promising. At one o clock Mr. Kite was setting up his holiday home making it comfortable in the Sandringham sunshine. Parked on a hard standing the holiday home faced South so that the sun would rise on the dining table side of the vehicle moving around the front and setting on the kitchen window side. The television was tuned, the fridge filled with beer, the heating switched on and the kettle boiled.

Now Mr. Kite has come bird watching to a well-known bird watching area and is looking forward to walking, riding his bicycle and being outdoors. Mr. Kite has decided to write down a list of the birds he sees and will count them; a Norfolk list.

Sitting in the winter sunshine Mr. Kite could see Wood Pigeons, Great Tits and Blue Tits in a small thin Silver Birch as he enjoyed a cup of coffee. The Wood Pigeons did not move far but the smaller birds were busy flying up and down the tree with the odd excursion round and round. A Blackbird was on the ground.

After coffee Mr. Kite put on his walking boots and ambled through the pine woods that smelt strongly of them and acidic earth with a hint of banana. A Robin was singing in a bush and a Wren was noisily ticking a few metres away in the dead ferns. Although it was close and noisy it was very difficult to spot. But there it was a clean brown tiny Wren with it’s tail cocked in the air.

Mr. Kite then watched a light brown Stoat with a black tipped tail walk quickly over the mud that a tractor wheel had churned up. Looking at the patch of green where the Rabbits hopped the Stoat used the furrows move closer to ambush it’s quarry. As the Rabbits scurried away the Stoat went into thick shrubs.

Soon after a Muntjac Deer ran into the wood. This short stocky deer with a white tail looked more like a large Hare with it’s muscular hind quarters. The sun was now dropping behind the trees and the temperature cooling. In the sky flock of gulls flew in vee formation to the west; probably to the coast for tea. The last bird of the day was a Long Tailed Tit.

Mr. Kite walked back to the campsite and heard a Tawny Owl hooting.

With seven species ticked off Mr. Kite enjoyed a tipple of Adnam’s Brewery Southwold Winter IPA. Cheers from a great place where the Royle’s have yet to show.