Confiding Wheatears at Lowestoft Net posts

On Sunday 29th April, I thought it was going to be another dismal walk around the patch with little reward, 2 Linnets seen at Corton OSW, where a brisk north- easterly wind blew. At the OSW compound where a ditch has been dug out bordering the western side and around 30% of the scrub and dead trees taken away. A crying shame as this area was used to hold photogenic Flycatchers and Redstarts from time to time. The ditch was already littered wdetritus and rubbish. A cold north- easterly wind meant my visit for Sand martins would prove fruitless. A look around the Oval, even more wall has gone and the "temporary fence" has now been up for over 2 years, 2 Stock Dove seen near the wall before being inevitably disturbed by dog walkers. A look around the net posts initially revealed nothing except more travellers encamped on the parking area. Ness Point the area by the gas compound looks just like a breakers yard and cans strewn all over the Turbine yard, welcome to the sunrise coast and the photogenic Ness Point, I think not! I bumped into Paul & Jane and there had just seen 2 Wheatears I looked again and walked around the northern posts, the male Wheatear popped up from a rabbit hole and was just 3 feet away from me. I retrieved my camera and by the northern edge, by a rusty bit of metal the male and female Wheatear perched up, the female soon flew off but the male Wheatear was particularly confiding and I left him in situ. At Riverside no Wheatears seen as I didn't want to disturb the 5 birds.

Very, very elusive American Bittern

I reached Carlton Marshes on Tuesday didn't see the bird at all. With 2 Swift seen plus Swallow and House Martin.on Wednesday 25th April, the American Bittern seen with Rob Wil and James Wr just after 5.30pm flew from the dyke and flew east for 5 seconds. It started to tip down with rain and I had to put my camera away. Of course 20 minutes later, I picked up the American Bittern really close, my closest view yet barely 20 metres away but only seen for 5 seconds! by the juncos before it had dived behind reeds and flew when the camera came out. 5 Avocets seen on the scrape. On Thursday at 7.30pm the American Bittern seen for 3 seconds when it swam across the dyke. Justin spotted an excellent Short- eared Owl flying over the main part of the reserve looking back towards the centre and 22 Whimbrel flying in. Also a fine Green Sandpiper flew east. On Saturday 28th April I arrived at 4.30pm and the AB flew out (seen for 3 seconds) and into the meadow, Rob Will rang and we went round the eastern section of Share Marsh as soon as we got there we heard the AB was showing in the meadow but when we got back I just couldn't see it. I next saw the bird at 7.30pm when it flew west back to the dyke. Great to see 7 Avocets on the scrape. A Hobby flew over the main part of the reserve the Scrape and disappeared over Peto's Marsh at 7.40pm 20 Whimbrel flew in, another 7 joined them. 2 Cuckoos heard too and Cetti's & 3 Grasshopper Warblers heard but not seen as we walked back. Total of viewing the AB 113 seconds, after 33 hours and 8 visits!

Prague birds

Just returned from an excellent trip to Prague, Black Redstarts heard singing from the hotel, heard and seen around Charles Bridge the far end and one showed quite well singing in the Jewish cemetery. On Charles Bridge, 2 Jackdaws were very obliging. A trip to an ecological park revealed a showy Nuthatch and obliging male Blackcap. A trip up Petrin Hill revealed a singing and an obliging Great - spotted Woodpecker, a Red Squirrel seen around the base of the tree then it scampered up the tree trunk, it was more dark brown than red but the ear tufts seen clearly. A Green Woodpecker called and near the bottom of the hill an obliging Lesser Whitethroat scolded from the middle of a bush and Green Woodpecker showed really well on the trunk of a tree pity I didn't have my big lenses with me! Swallows seen flying around the bridge area. Funny that no dogs seen and the birds were obliging.

Local & work wildlife

A Chiff- Chaff singing over the fence at Fallowfields this am, a Peacock butterfly & showy Dunnock just outside Burrage Centre, JPUH Hospital (alas no camera) & saw a Muntjac deer on Fallowfields this evening walking just past the vegetation just past the back garden fence.

American Bittern in flight

On Monday April 16th, the American Bittern seen for the first time today at Share Marsh, Carlton Marshes, at 7.15pm (15 second view), 7.20pm and 7.23pm it flew out of the usual area flew to reeds behind cleared area where it had been displaying last Saturday.

Male Redstart at Gunton Memorial field

On Sunday 15th April, thick fog happened birding in the morning, but I went out to Gunton ORT to twitch James' Redstart and in the memorial are I briefly saw it before it flew to the ORT. A Redwing flew in. The fine male Redstart popped out and was seen on the track before it flew back to the ORT. Later on it flew out and was seen using the plastic coiled tree protector coverings to hunt for food. Further along the rail track, I heard a Firecrest and Jake G and gang had seen a Hawfinch but alas we didn't see it.

American Bittern again

A trip down Carlton Marshes on Saturday 14th April and I eventually saw the American Bittern emerging amongst the Juncus in the cleared area just east of the dye usual area, it stick its head and breast up and the snuck down and slunk amongst the Juncus and then into the reeds all for a magnificent 5 seconds. It showed a brown head a white super cilia and dark thick stripes down its breast. I shouted it out as I was the only one to see it but it did later emerge amongst the edge of the reeds slightly further east by the clear field.

American Bittern after 7 hour stint

On Sunday 8th April, having just 4 hours of sleep after getting home at 12.30am after Rob & Erin's wedding reception celebrations (a wonderful occasions and so please dot be able to share their special day with them and many mutual friends), I was up at 4.30pm and put in 5 hours and 10 minutes in the hope of seeing a totally unexpected but very welcome American Bittern that had been superbly photographed by Gavin the previous evening at 6pm. He had posted it on twitter as a Bittern and then this had been correctly id'd by Rob H and others. It was a very overcast day with initial spells of light rain. Praying in the main car park, I had a brief chat with Matt & Rob H. There was absolutely no sign of the bird during my first stint. However Matthew D spotted a distant male Ring Ouzel perched on top of a distant tree. A Kestrel also perched on top to the right of the bush was causing the Thrush to pump its tail in alarm. The white breast crescent clearly seen and a great indicator of what the bird was from this distance. I left at 11.10am during light rain. Inevitably tweets came through of the bird showing at 12.32pm and 1.25pm and by 2.30pm I was back. This time I had to park in the overflow car park. The field to the swest of the old dilapidated barn where there was already some 40 cars. I joined a throng of 160 or so birders. We had several sighting of 10+ Swallows flying past including a group of 5. Chinese Water Deer seen occasionally. Finally at 4.32pm after a long cumulative wait of just over 7 hours the bird was called seen in flight I initially got onto a Crow but then switched to the bird, an absolutely fantastic American Bittern and huge relief all round! What stood out for me, initially was the very dark flight feathers contrasting with the very pale wing coverts showing a very stark contrast between the two groups of wing feathers (wing coverts) pale versus the very dark primaries, secondaries and primary coverts) plus pale buff trailing edge wedge to these feathers, clearly seen. It showed thick dark stripes on the breast and flanks and a fine longish bill (appearing slimmer than Eurasian Bittern) and distinct head markings and a brown crown, it flew from left to right, for around 15 seconds, it flew towards the bush, it wheeled around in a semi- circle and pitched into the reeds just to the left of the bush. Great mutual congratulations with Rob & Erin, Paul & Jane and others after a mind numbing 7+ hours of waiting! Just 50 minutes later, it ran across the open area staying crouched down as it went by (I didn't see the bird on the deck during this brief sighting as I had sadly stood on the left side of the group, wrong side of the ditch! A bird then flew away called by some as the American Bittern at 5.20pm, but it was a bigger more squat bird, with only very slightly darker flight feathers and a more homogenous brown and squat appearance, making it a Eurasian Bittern in my book (and most of the people I spoke to agreed), my first for the site and for Lowestoft proper! Other birders said they saw a Eurasian Bittern in a field where we saw it pitch down.

Great Egret at Oulton Marshes

On Saturday 7th April, at Carlton Marshes after Rob & Erins wonderful wedding we saw my first Swallow flying over the scrape and Small Tortoiseshell butterfly. Popping out from Rob & Erin's wedding reception for 90 mins I saw a female White Wagtail in the horse paddock from the north path of Oulton Marshes and there distant yellow billed Great Egret was walking along a distant dyke on Camps Heath marshes near the footpath.

A few migrants at Kessingland SW

On Thursday 5th April, 4 Chiff- Chaff seen around the perimeter bushes of Kessingland sewage works, 2 Blackcap recorded, my first of the year 1 heard chacking and a male hopping round the trunk of a small tree at the edge of the bushy scrub bordering the track. 2 Firecrest heard and seen by the bush scrub bordering the sewage works, one showed briefly well in some bare bush branches but a van coming along disturbed it and as always spoilt a chance to photogenic Dunnock, Robin, Wood Pigeons seen too plus a brief view of a Song Thrush further down the track. this fine bird, good to see local birders, David B and wife. Some photogenic No time for further birding as I had to be in work for 1.45pm.

21 White Wagtails at Corton

On Wednesday 4 April, receiving a tweet from Craig that he'd seen White Wagtails at Corton I drove and parked by the bridge at Stirrups Lane at 6.30pm and joined James B who watching watching a Wagtail flock in the ploughed field, initially there were further back by the puddled area but they flew a little closer and we eventually counted an amazing 21 White Wagtails, including 15 adult males, 4 Pied Wagtails (with 1 adult male), and 2 Linnets were amongst their number. They would fly up constantly or disappear into the furrows. The black crown of the males were markedly different from the pale silver grey backs.

Late to the Penduline party

On Monday 2nd April, having endured a dismal birding Easter, I had the week off and not seen a single notable bird (easily the worst on record for me, personally) I had been out during the day, not realising my phone had lost power and casually checked twitter on the computer to be met with the outstanding news that Andrew E had found a Penduline Tit at Leathes Ham! I raced down there. Walking along the path bordering the Tennis courts, Craig & Rob H were still there plus a quickly departing Dick. It had been seen 10 minutes previously but had disappeared into the reeds. A long tense 30 minutes crept by, before Rob H brilliantly picked out a distant rendition of its very highly pitched call, he very kindly called me over and I finally saw the bird, a superb male Penduline Tit, initially really obscured by some bushes on the west side of the track, a stunning bird like a mini male Red- backed Shrike in summer with rufous brown back black mask over the face and a cream underbelly. It showed in the bush, initially obscured but it flew to another bush and showed near the top of the bush before it eventually flew across the path and into the bushes bordering the reeds. On Tuesday 3rd April, I had to start at 8am, so by 6.30am, I was back at Leathes Ham, looking behind the tennis courts and the bird was seen in the bushes singing, a very high pitched and trilling song, it was lovely to see it singing the first time I have seen this species in full song rather than the call. I was back looking and saw the the excellent male Penduline Tit feeding on a bulrush. I then had to leave. I was back at 6.15pm and met Justin L and I eventually picked up the bird feeding from a bulrush, I watched it for some 15 minutes feeding away and when it hopped to the back it was almost completely obscured. It later flew towards the reeds near the bridge. On Wednesday 3rd April, I didn't see the bird between 7.15 and 8.40am but did hear it early on twice briefly.

Departing Redwing

On Sunday 1st April at 11pm, a departing Redwing heard calling "psst" over the garden.

No Garganey

On Thursday 29th March, a trip to Strumpshaw Fen in the afternoon failed to reveal the close hoped for Garganey, a Black Swan on the water by reception hide and a Red Kite flew in and over the woodland, the only notable birds seen.