Cley Birds Photo Gallery

Dunlin, Salthouse, 10th September 2015.

Yellow-browed Warbler, Blakeney Point Plantation, 9th September 2015. This bird was apparently also in the plantation the previous day, making it (along with another reported at Langham on the same day) the earliest ever autumn record in Norfolk by two days.

Pied Flycatcher, Blakeney Point, 9th September 2015.

Spotted Flycatcher, Blakeney Point, 9th September 2015.

Redstart, Blakeney Point, 9th September 2015.

Red-backed Shrike, Salthouse, 8th September 2015. This bird sadly had a broken leg, but it seemed to have no trouble catching bumblebees.

Water Rail, Daukes' Hide, Cley, 6th September 2015.

Whinchat, Cley, 6th September 2015.

White-winged Black Tern, Ormesby Broad, Norfolk, 5th September 2015.

Autumn Lady's Tresses Orchid, Holt, Norfolk, 5th September 2015.

Great Skuas, Cley, 5th September 2015.

Teal, Cley, 4th September 2015.

Blackcap, Warham Pit, Norfolk, 2nd September 2015.

Hobby, Cley, 2nd September 2015.

Wheatear, Salthouse, 1st September 2015.

Pied Flycatcher, Wells Woods, Norfolk, 1st September 2015.

Lesser Whitethroat, Wells Woods, Norfolk, 1st September 2015.

Treecreeper, Wells Woods, Norfolk, 1st September 2015.

Common Whitethroat, Cley, 30th August 2015.

Pintails, Cley, 29th August 2015.

Red-backed Shrike, Kelling Water Meadow, 28th August 2015.

Golden Plover, Kelling Hard, 27th August 2015.

Merlin, Cley, 27th August 2015. The 100 or so Swifts remained over the reserve this morning, but their number down by at least two – one taken by a Hobby last night and one we watched being taken over Pat's Pool by this Merlin this morning.

Common Swift, Cley, 26th August 2015. An exceptionally late flock of about 100 gathered over the reserve throughout the day.

Garden Warblers, Walsey Hills, Cley, 25th August 2015.

Spotted Sandpiper, Coate Water CP, Wiltshire, 24th August 2015. It never did come close, despite waiting 12 hours one day and four the next!

Juvenile Common Tern, Coate Water CP, Wiltshire, 23rd August 2015.

Juvenile Great Crested Grebe, Coate Water CP, Wiltshire, 23rd August 2015.

Juvenile Spotted Flycatcher, Mildenhall, Suffolk, 21st August 2015.

Juvenile Little Stints, Simmonds' Scrape, Cley, 20th August 2015. Some of the seven newly arrived in front of Daukes' Hide this afternoon.

Willow Warbler, Cley, 20th August 2015. My first of the autumn – on the Eye Field fence.

Whinchat, Salthouse, 20th August 2015.

Wryneck, Burnham Overy Dunes, Norfolk, 19th August 2015.

Green Sandpiper, Bishop Hide, Cley, 19th August 2015.

Wood Sandpiper, Titchwell, Norfolk, 17th August 2015.

Common Darter, Dersingham Bog, Norfolk, 17th August 2015.

Dersingham Bog, Norfolk, 17th August 2015. During an hour's visit on a lovely sunny afternoon, we saw just one dragonfly. The boardwalk area seems in dire need of some of the active management proclaimed on the noticeboard – birch and other scrub clearance and some opening up of some permanent pools (the latter nice and close to the boardwalk please!).

Red-footed Falcon, Willow Tree Fen, Lincolnshire, 16th August 2015.

Greenshank, Arnold's Marsh, Cley, 16th August 2015.

Whinchat, Gramborough Hill, Salthouse, 15th August 2015.

Stonechat, Gramborough Hill, Salthouse, 15th August 2015.

Whinchat and Stonechat, Gramborough Hill, Salthouse, 15th August 2015. Three Whinchats and a Stonechat were new arrivals at the hill.

Little Gull, Simmonds' Scrape, Cley, 15th August 2015.

Ruff, Simmonds' Scrape, Cley, 15th August 2015.

Bar-tailed Godwit, Pat's Pool, Cley, 15th August 2015.

Icterine Warbler, Burnham Overy Dunes, Norfolk, 14th August 2015.

Pied Flycatcher, Burnham Overy Dunes, Norfolk, 14th August 2015.

Southern Hawker, Cley, 12th August 2015.

Brown Argus, Walsey Hills, Cley, 12th August 2015.

Hobby, Cley, 11th August 2015. He's still here – terrorising the waders on the scrapes at spectacular high speeds.

Adult Caspian Gull, Pat's Pool, Cley, 10th August 2015.

Juvenile Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit, Pat's Pool, Cley, 10th August 2015.

Common Sandpiper, Pat's Pool, Cley, 10th August 2015.

Hobby, Cley, 9th August 2015.

Migrant Hawker Dragonfly, Cley, 9th August 2015.

Lesser Marsh Grasshoppers, Boardwalk, Cley, 8th August 2015. Photo by Sue Gantlett.

Red-tailed Bumblebees, Pillbox, Cley, 8th August 2015. Photo by Sue Gantlett.

Yellow-legged Gull, Simmonds' Scrape, Cley, 8th August 2015.

Great Crested Grebe, Cley, 8th August 2015.

Sandwich Tern, Cley, 8th August 2015.

Hobby, Cley, 7th August 2015. With Meadow Pipit prey.

Roe Deer, Cley, 7th August 2015.

Common Snipe, Cley, 7th August 2015.

Milk Parsley, Cley, 6th August 2015. Apparently a new species for Cley – two plants are to be found beside the reserve's boardwalk.

Goosanders, Cley, 6th August 2015. These three flew east over the reserve this morning.

Spotted Redshank, North Scrape, Cley, 5th August 2015. Only my third of the year on the reserve – long gone are the days of flocks of 25 here.

Robin, Cley, 6th August 2015.

Cuckoo, Cley, 5th August 2015.

Great Crested Grebe, Cley, 5th August 2015.

Southern Hawker, Roydon Common, Norfolk, 5th August 2015.

Peregrine, Cley, 4th August 2015.

Simmonds' Scrape, Cley, 4th August 2015. Plenty of birds on Simmonds' this afternoon – most of them flushed over from Pat's Pool by the passing Peregrine.

Avocet fledgling, Pat's Pool, Cley, 4th August 2015.

Silver-washed Fritillaries, Holt CP, Norfolk, 3rd August 2015. About 20 were easily seen in a short visit this morning.

White Admiral, Holt CP, Norfolk, 3rd August 2015.

Stoat, Cley, 2nd August 2015.

Hummingbird Hawkmoth, Cley, 1st August 2015. The fifth sighting in the garden this summer.

Cormorant, Salthouse, 31st July 2015. This perky juvenile was holding up traffic strolling down the middle of Cley Beach Road early evening. It had already been rescued from there once and released on the sea, but had come back again! I drove it to Salthouse Duck Pond and it promptly jumped off the back seat of my car and caught a fish.

Melodious Warbler, Blakeney Point, Norfolk, 31st July 2015. A very brief change of the wind to a north-easterly brought this early first passerine migrant of the autumn: only the fifth Melodious Warbler for Norfolk (where all but one of the records have been in the Cley area). With many thanks to the finder, National Trust Ranger Paul Nichols.

Juvenile Little Tern, Blakeney Point, 31st July 2015. Unlike the other terns, this species has had a good breeding season on the point: about 20 young have fledged.

Sanderling, Blakeney Point, 31st July 2015.

Barn Owl, Cley, 31st July 2015.

Chalkhill Blue, Warham Camp, Norfolk, 31st July 2015. Over a hundred were on the wing.

Small Tortoiseshell, Warham Camp, Norfolk, 31st July 2015.

Little Gull, Cley, 29th July 2015.

Broad-leaved Helleborine Orchid, Santon Downham, Norfolk, 29th July 2015.

Juvenile Robin, Cley, 28th July 2015.

Juvenile Avocet, Cley, 28th July 2015.

Juvenile Dunlin, Cley, 28th July 2015.

Common Tern, Cley, 27th July 2015.

Sandwich Terns, Dunlins, Curlew Sandpipers, Knots and Black-tailed Godwits, Arnold's Marsh, Cley, 25th July 2015.

Swifts, Cley, 25th July 2015. This is our pair together in front of their nestbox (see 17th May below) early this afternoon. As we expected, they seem to be a pair of first-time nesters. First they laid a couple of eggs which they didn't seem to know what to do with (and which subsequently disappeared), then they built their nest (a nice feather affair which they now roost in every night) which they are still adding to today, and now one is flying around with a food bolus. Hopefully they'll return and make a better job of it next year.