Monday 7th March fresh NE sunny intervals
and cold
A day of
cycling as far as I can towards Boston, Lincolnshire starts with a
walk through Kings Lynn centre; well after three large fresh
fruit-covered pancakes for breakfast. The Grange hotel, Kings Lynn
isn't one of my favourite hotels for no reason. Jane, the bubbly
Australian manageress, who in herself is a good reason to revisit,
has brought not only three pancakes covered in raspberries,
blueberries and banana but she has also put an extra four in foil for
me to enjoy later. There's also the bottle of Canadian maple syrup
with which to enjoy them with.
So with a
little something sorted out as a gift to my daughter Rebecca, who is
going to San Fransisco to give a presentation in a couple of weeks as
part of her PhD, I set off along the country lanes along the south
end of The Wash.
Today I do
something I have never donr before whilst cycling. I have earphones
in and the hours are passed by listening to and singing along to my
favourite music.
Heacham
passed, a large cafe has two armoured vehicles, a large RAF aircraft
and a number of large missile shooting guns. A recruitement trailer
for the army is parked here and there are 'Help The Heroes' flags
flying.
I need a
pee, one does occassionally when one is drinking two to three litres
a session. The only private place is a broken down ruin of an old
cottage and the deed is done inside, There's no roof so with the
forecast for heavy rain tomorrow it will soon be washed away. Another
few litres of fresh water saved as I won't be committing the sin of
flushing urine with the precious liquid.
I reach
Frampton after half an hour of The Who. The Bell Boy arrives at this
fabulous RSPB reserve all newly born, my Biking Birder uniform and
bike tells a volunteer and a staff member who I am. Simon, the RSPB
staff member greets me like an old friend. Last year he helped me see
a rare American white-rumped sandpiper here back last June. The
volunteer, who's name I can't recall sorry, shakes hand as Simon
tells me that he will tell Chris I am here.
Into the
visitor's centre I buy myself a hot chocolate and a packet of
chocolate raisins. I wonder how much profit the RSPB get from the
small packet of the latter. I am sure they, and I would get a better
deal if they bought much larger packets of chocolate raisins from
Lidl and sold them at £1!
Simon
comes on with Chris. I had totally forgotten that the brother of The
Oracle, Phil Andrews worked here and the surprise has me laughing out
loud.
Recently
Phil has not only sent around 15 to 20 texts a day over birds ahead
of me that I need to get but he has also started to add possible ten
day itineraries to the comprehensive list of birds seen in the last
week in the counties around me! Phil has two wonderful small boys and
a beautiful wife. Where does he get the time? No matter, he is a
vital cog in the professional team that is The Biking Birder.
Tree
sparrows come to the feeder where there are already goldfinch,
chaffinch, greenfinch, yellowhammers, robin, blackbird and dunnock.
The list grows by one.
As by now
it is late afternoon I head for the 360 hide where a little ringed
plover was seen earlier in the day. A barn owl flies over. How many
of them have I seen in the last week? There are flocks of roosting
dunlin and a sleeping ringed plover stays as that. No sign of the
LRP, I leave the reserve and get to Boston. New bird for the year and
target place reached despite the cold, and it has been very cold, and
the strong wind in my face. Music kept me going!
So the
year list is now at 181, which is still twenty four ahead of this
time last year.
41.23
Miles 439 feet elevation up 454 feet elevation down
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