Wednesday 29 March 2017

Eider and Godwit breaks the week's duck

Having missed for the second weekend running White Wags at Corton, a Wheatear at Corton ORT (Mon after work), Waxwings at Gorleston (Tues after work), I was wondering when my luck would change. It certainly didn't when I took a look at the Netposts late afternoon on Wednesday 29th March, I failed to see the Black Redstart (probably given the runaround by the multitude of visitors here both 2 legged and 4 legged) seen earlier. A look in Hamilton Dock for the Eider that I have missed 4X since it was first seen finally gave itself up and incredibly it was showing really close to Hamilton road, at one point it was on the very edge of the dock. Initially I looked west and saw it albeit against the light slightly but moving down to the fenced part of the car park the sun rays briefly lit up the area and I was able to get some reasonable shots of the bird with the sun behind me. It was a fine male immature Eider, a wonderful bird to see especially as it afforded me very close, even "Ferguson" views, so named because of some friends of mine, really good birders, often get jammy close views! But this reflects the time they spend out in the field which is probably more than I do. I gave OFB a ring and he said he would come straight away! As I looked back at the muddy spit, waders included 4 Turnstone, 3 Oystercatchers and a fine but unexpected Bar- tailed Godwit moulting into summer plumage. I saw on the concrete step and the bird was constantly feeding just in the water as it fed ever closer until it turned and started walking back constantly feeding. It was later seen on the mud in the eastern corner. As Roger arrived literally a minute after I had seen it was gone and the male Eider was bony rapidly swimming away and poor Roger saw it feeding by the sand bank over the far side of the dock.

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