West Norfolk  -  Snettisham  High Tide Roost

Sunday 25th October  2015. ‘ Time and Tide waits for no man ! or even Waders ‘ An organised coach trip on behalf of the local RSPB group saw me head  off to a favourite reserve . With a good tide set to be at its peak at 4-40pm and the prospect of  good weather it promised to be a fruitful trip . Setting off from Lincoln and arriving at ‘Snetts ‘ at 11am the weather was perfect also with the added bonus of not many people around . A walk along the seafront over  the shingle promised a lot but delivered very little with just the odd calling Redshank and occasional Dunlin for company .  I had rather been hoping for maybe a Snow Bunting or two or maybe a Twite , there was a very large flock of Goldfinches feeding on the myriad of teasel heads . As I approached the far end of the path a very confiding female Stonechat put in an appearance . On the botanical front a few of the horned poppies were still in full flower , absurd for late October . The pits had thrown up a few waterfowl – Greylag geese , Tufted ducks  and some Little grebes but nothing out of the ordinary . As the day progressed the cloud built up which was rather disappointing but the birds built up also , many species were seen close in , such as Curlew Dunlin, Grey Plover and a Greenshank . By 3pm the birds were starting to get pushed up the mud with overlays of thousands of Knot  , Oystercatchers and  Bar Tailed Godwits  all inter playing as the tide advanced . Some amazing murmurations ( patterns)  were formed with a soft autumnal sun as the backdrop. The large flock ( 2000+ ) Golden plver had long since dispersed going inland to escape the advancing tide .   All in all it was a fabulous day  only spoilt by having to yomp back to the coach in order to get home . A recommended reserve to visit but good weather is essential  otherwise it can seem like you are at the end of the world .