Unprecedented : a poor days birding in Norfolk.

On Friday morning I headed to Cley to walk the East bank but when I got there the weather man had let me down badly.It was very gloomy and a strong easterly wind was blowing.Oh dear not the weather for a fairweatherbirder and certainly not the weather for taking pics.

Joined the only other birder on the shingle bank and helped him search for a Snow Bunting that had been reported earlier.After a fruitless hours searching and as I was getting shingle blindness (looking at shingle for too long) I gave up and headed a bit down the coast to Salthouse beach.

Had a bit better luck there when I found 4 Turnstones on one of the flooded areas and a Whinchat on some undergrowth (first one I'd seen for a few years).I then searched on Granborough Hill where sometimes decent birds can be seen but I had no luck.I then joined some other birders searching for a Shore Lark that had just come in on the bird text alert but we could not find it after an hours search.

I then went for lunch in the Dun Cow pub at Salthouse but my poor morning continued here when a very modest ham sandwich and a half of bitter cost me £7.00.Hells bells £7.00!!!! When I was young £7.00 could buy you a 2-bed semi out in the sticks.

Just as I left the pub the bird text alert came through "YB Warbler and a Firecrest by the pond at Holkam Pines". As it was on my way back to the hotel I decided to give it a go.When I got out of the car at the end of Lady Anne's Drive I was surrounded by loads of dogs and I thought Crufts were holding a dog show here but no it was just dog walkers.Dozens of them.

I headed down the path to the pond which I knew was near the Washington hide.I searched for a couple of hours with quite a few other birders but all we saw was a Blue Tit ,a Robin and a few Chaffinches.By this time I knew it was not my day so I gave up for the day.