Saturday 21 December 2013

Grey Phalarope on flooded fields by the Bailey Bridge

On Tuesday 10th December, 2 groups of around 40 Pink- footed Geese flew north east over the Hospital car park at 8.20am. On Friday 13th December I had the morning off and in the gloom I drove to Southwold walked over the bailey Bridge and the excellent 1st winter Grey Phalarope was feeding close in to the north west corner. I crouched down and watched it for a little while, 3 minutes and was setting up my camera up when a passer by flushed it and it flew east. It was seen partially obscured by reeds in a dyke running parallel with the river. On Saturday 14th December, I drove back to Southwold harbour and walked along the river bank meeting some photographer and I instantly saw the Grey Phalarope out briefly in the open for 2 minutes before sadly defence work contractors flushed it as they drove right up to the bird it flew away, but for the rest of the time it spent time in the dyke obscured by reeds. On Sunday 15th December, an Environment Agency guard was blocking any access along the walk way it was again the north west corner by the Bailey Bridge but after just a minute it was flushed but he guard and flew into the obscured dyke. Later on it flew to the pool and showed reasonably well. It later flew west of the bridge and flew and swam in the river before flying high east past Southwold town and the lighthouse and appeared to drop but not seen again.

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