Brancaster Staithe – in the sunshine this time…

Well, it’s the morning after the night of the Great Storm and we’re still here! There was certainly some heavy rain overnight but not much in the way of wind.  I guess we have been in the right place at the right time for a change. Sadly, others were not so lucky…

Today we have decided to drive northwards to Brancaster Staithe.  The last time we were there was during our first trip with Bessie – and it was raining. On the way there today, we called in at our favourite Farm Shop at Knight’s Hill just outside King’s Lynn.  Last July we used to drive here from Sandringham to get a mobile internet connection but now that we use a “3” dongle we find we get a good reception in most places.

This time it was to do a little shopping.  We could have gone to Sainsburys but we can do that at home.  The Farm Shop is undoubtedly more expensive but the food looks better and it’s more fun.  We bought some sausages, pork slices and a steak and kidney pie as well as the usual veggies etc.  Oh and some Traffic Jam – three flavours and colours: strawberry, apricot and gooseberry!  Halloween is soon upon us and they had a good selection of squashes to choose from.  My favourite is the Turk’s Turban.

So, shopping done, it was off to Brancaster Staithe – the memory of the cockles we bought there last July was still fresh! The cockles themselves are collected right there on the Staithe, along with lots of other shellfish.

Thankfully, the Crab Hut was still there and open so. with no more ado, Peter shot out and came back with a large pot full.  The fresh bread we had bought at the Farm Shop was buttered and we settled down to some serious cockle eating.  It wasn’t until afterwards that I realised I hadn’t taken a photo – we’ll just have to come back!

Fortified with shellfish, we set about photographing the many birds who were populating the mud flats around this pretty little harbour.

Peter took this great aerial shot of a curlew with my camera:

And I managed this one of a Cormorant about to take off:

This Black-headed Gull has a rather surprised look:

And looks streamlined on take-off:

But the stars of the day have to be these little Turnstones who darted all over the place turning over any stone they could find and often coming up with something rather tasty in a shell.

This little chap has obviously been around quite some time, looking at the four differently coloured rings around his legs.  Surely no more room for any more?

But surely the “cutest wader” prize has to go to this dear little Ringed Plover, looking like a tiny Humpty Dumpty next to the Black-tailed Godwit?

There were plenty of Oystercatchers:

And, of course, the ubiquitous Redshank:

A great day out and I have a sneaking suspicion we might be back before too long…