Back To Cut End
Another go at the Black Guillemot today.
I was quite impressed with Cut End yesterday. It is reached by driving to Boston then turning toward The Wash. The country lane takes you to the banks of the River Witham, from where it is a bracing one mile walk to where the river emerges into The Wash. There sits a brick hide which provides shelter and excellent views of the river mouth and the sea.
On the other side of the river sits the fabulous RSPB reserve of Frampton Marsh.
As the tide rises, so the sea birds come close inshore. Seals bob up and down in the river mouth and parties of Brent Geese fly overhead as they are pushed off the saltmarsh. There may have been no Black Guillemot, but yesterday I saw four types of grebe and a Great Northern Diver all which came right into the mouth of the river.
If anything, despite the snow having thawed, it was colder than yesterday. But I decided to risk taking the dogs along. I knew they would love the jaunt along the sea wall but I was a bit worried they would be disruptive when we got there and that they might get cold if I stayed there very long.
As it was they were a delight. Boris had a wild run around with a Cockerpoo that he met and both dogs introduced themselves fairly politely to the half dozen or so other birders who were there. Boris was happy to mooch around along the seawall and on the rocks, while Arthur soon got cold and came onto my lap for a cuddle. I wrapped him in a blanket but he eventually ended up inside my warm jumper.
No Black Guillemot again, but two Red-necked Grebes were notable and a Marsh Harrier gave stunning views. Slightly more distantly a Slavonian Grebe spent most of its time under water and a Razorbill bobbed up and down on the waves.
After a couple of hours high tide had passed by and Boris too was getting cold. We headed back along the river to where the car was parked, back through Boston and home just in time to do the chickens' late afternoon feed.
The dogs didn't do much else for the rest of the evening.
