Snettisham Lagoons

12th July 2013

Following successful visits to Titchwell and the Hunstanton Fulmar colony, it was time to round off the day at Snettisham lagoons and beach. The lagoons are in fact dis-used gravel pits, with the inland ones by the RSPB car park being used for fishing. It was therefore perhaps not too surprising that the first bird we saw was an Egyptian Goose, as Norfolk is one of their strongholds.

Further along the path a Wood Pigeon was busy building its nest and was totally unperturbed by spectators. Wood Pigeons breed all the year round, but tend to cram in as many broods as they can during the summer months.

A jangling song at the top of a Hawthorn was an adult male Goldfinch keeping a watch-out over the surrounding grassland. I have always found these difficult to photograph, even when they are quite close, but this one came out reasonably well against the blue sky background. How nice to have the sun in the right place for once.

The area was quite busy with small birds flitting in all directions, but mostly obscured by the long vegetation or too distant. However, a family of young Whitethroats did provide an opportunity and were quite confiding, not too surprising when you consider that we were probably the first humans they had seen.

.....and now on to the beach.