Red- throated Pipit at Landguard

After an agonising wait, after first hearing of a switchable RTP at Landguard on Wednesday and having left work at 4pm that day I had judged leaving home at 4.30pm (when I found out) I wouldn't arrive at Landguard until 5.45pm and it would be practically dark by 6.30pm, leaving only 35 mins birding time factoring in a 10 minute walk to the spot. Saturday dawned bright and early and I was ready when the first BINS message came through around 7.35pm. Around 70 minutes later I was pulling into the car park and followed a couple of birders walking across the common to the southern tip. People were gathered half way down the easternmost boardwalk roped off the area bordering the beach which was grassy with sueda either side bordering the boardwalk and by the seaward side. I made my way to near the front. Only problem was it wasn't immediately apparent where the bird was. After 5 anxious minutes, I finally picked the bird up. a superb Red- throated Pipit, which was actively feeding to the left of the grassy channel feeding in and out of the vegetation. Fleeting views were seen, but then it fed by the side of the boardwalk often obscured by the weeds. It came close by the first post but mainly feeding by the second and third posts along, occasionally showing very briefly out in the open but was always active moving and feeding. A heavily streaked bird, it had a whitish super cilia, dark streaked brown crown, it showed distinctive whitish mantle stripes further emphasised by bordering black mantle stripes. It was also streaked on the rump (unlike Meadow Pipit) It had a fine bill with yellowish base. Underparts it showed a pale peach throat, which was quite distinctive in good light but less so in poor light.the rest of the underparts were a uniform cream white with streaks on the breast and flank sides. Unfortunately at 10.15am, a dog walker ignored requests and deliberately walked along the boardwalk and inevitably flushed it. It flew up called "pssst" and flew north and appeared to settle in the distance along the north common. However, despite me hearing it call 'pssst' around here at around 10.40amthere I didn't see it or know which direction it was flying in. This was the second bird I have seen in the Uk, my first one seen on Tresco, Isles of scilly. I have previously heard one flying over north at Stirrup's Lane, Corton, but this is a mainland and Suffolk tick. As we walked over I heard the distinctive drawn out "teez" of a Tree Pipit, but couldn't see it. Initially I walked over and saw a Wheater by a fenced off area, the Wheatear was quite confiding. 4+ Wheatear seen in total. As I was photographing the Wheatear, I spotted a fine Clouded Yellow butterfly flying left behind it. I then met Barry W and a group he was leading. It was seen on several other occasions along the common. My first look over just north of the cottages, a female Redstart flicked up onto the wall of the cottage, whilst a Whitethroat flew from one bush to another. Just north of the cottages by a fenced area, first an obliging female Redstart seen perched and then on the ground and back on the fence again. Whilst a male Redstart seen by bushes as I walked by behind the fence, a female Whitethroat flew into the bush too. The Clouded Yellow butterfly flew past us again here. I walked back onto the common hoping to get some pics of the male bird on the fence but it flew. It then posed on the fence and then finally in a small bush then large bush by the track and was inevitably flushed by a dog walker inadvertently. The RTP was later picked up along the middle common where distant, feeding around c20 Meadow Pipits which were slightly smaller and browner. The RTP was more grey- brown above and whiter below. but good views were seen feeding in the short grass. It later flew to the edge of the south common and standing on a mound I had very close views where it fed by some bare sticks. It later flew of its own volition back to its original area, where we good views again. Albeit, against the light, so Barry W. and I walked around the beach edge and had much better views looking from the fence over to the boardwalk, where it was again feeding near the boardwalk, it ran out on the open and showed reasonably well here.