Heron & Green- wings

On Tuesday 30th April 2019, Leaving the close at 7.45am this morning, a Grey Heron flew south- east low over "The Pastures. In the evening, around 7.30pm, I popped over to Gunton Meadow and counted 21 spikes of very stunted Green- Winged Orchids in the usual place, nice to see and notices up too which was good so people wouldn't step on them.

First "Kettle" over A47 (A12) at Lowestoft

Driving back after work, on Monday 29th April at 5.30pm, I saw my first ever flying "kettle" of raptors, namely 5 Common Buzzards circling just west of the dual carraigeway, directly over the closed lay-by just north of the Corton, Long Lane roundabout at North Lowestoft. A "Kettle" in birding parlance terms is a term used to a denote a number of raptors spiralling around usually on trying to get getting some lift on with the aid of thermals (conserving energy by the minimum flapping of wings) usually over such great raptor migration places that I have witnessed such as Gibraltar, the Bospheros or Eilat- first time I've seen it over Lowestoft!

Early Spring Goodies: a trio of Savi's Warbler, Turtle Dove & Male Red- footed Falcon

On Sunday 28th April and an early start meant I arrived at Minsmere at 7.50am, I saw Maurice B and entered the hide. It wasn't long before I could hear the buzzing of an excellent Savi's Warbler. It was coming from the other side of the Mere, after 30 minutes I still hadn't seen it. But suddenly someone spotted it and they kindly let me have a look, the excellent Savi's Warbler was in one of the middle bushes at the back. It was perched on the left hand side near the top, it could be seen buzzing away moving its head from side to side. Typically drab with a brownish wash over the upper breast. Someone also kindly put my scope onto it and it promptly flew down and out of sight. Around 20 minutes later it was buzzing again and I spotted it as I saw it perched on the left hand side bush perched in the middle near the top, it showed well here if distantly for a couple of minutes before flying left again. Some distant birds in the sky included 1 Swift, a nice early one for me (I rarely see them before May). Also several 3 Marsh Harriers seen flying around, mostly males. I then left to look at a nearby site, where it was sadly too chilly to look for Adders, but Immediately heard a Turtle Dove "purring" from a Silver Birch thicket just over to the left. By the quarry, a Willow Warbler flew into a small tree and showed well. Even better, a Turtle Dove flew past and right, my first Suffolk sighting for 4 years. Also I heard 2 Nightingales singing away too. A call from maurice B who said the RF Falcon was the Butley end of Woodbridge airfield and showing well, accessed via Forestry Commission camp site parking. I had a little trouble finding Butley and went through one of the villages 3X ( I didn't have Sat Nav or the OS Map for the whole area. But once I found Butley, Maurice's excellent direction came in handy as I saw the brown sign and turned left down a long wooded road, past a load of campers and their call until on the right hand side it opened out with a tall fence on the right hand side of the road and lots of birders cars. I parked up walked up and initially it wasn't apparent where the bird was until, I bumped into Carl B and his wife and they said the bird was on the ground and moving to the left of Carl I could see this excellent bird a fine adult male Red- footed Falcon perched on the ground. Abruptly, a fine Hobby flew past from left to right giving good views as it flew close by. with a smokey grey plumage, eye ring red bill and legs. It then flew up to a post. Eventually we were given access to a kind resident's garden and we got closer views of the bird.

Weekend of dips

On Friday 25th Not hearing about the Hoopoe at Winterton until 7.10pm I would have popped over straight after work but the I can't get the new wi-fi on my phone and worse than that it eats up my $G allowance so no bird news until I get home. Saturday 26th at Ness Point was poor and got worse when I got home and realised an Alpine Swift may have gone through, (I don't get any news on my phone when 4G has run out) I didn't see it though and I was there at the time it was supposed to go through. I checked various tall buildings around the town directly after wards. The Flats Tower block, Lowestoft Lighthouse, the wind turbine and the Grain silo along Lake Lothing but with no luck this time. It also adds to the incredible tally of dips trying to connect to a bird flying through either south from Norfolk or a bird flying north from Norfolk- birds missed in this way include WB Diver, WT eagle X6 occasions, Black Guillemot, Great Shearwater, Cory's Shearwater, Fea's Petrel, Black Kite, LT Skua X5, Pom Skua X7 etc.

Gunton again

On Wednesday 25th April in the evening, whilst in Gunton wood, near Gunton Church seeing Nicholas B. I heard the Yellow- browed Warbler call twice but unable to see the bird.In the trees around 10 Chaffinch and I picked out a fine Brambling at the top of the tree.

More Redstarts at Gunton

On Tuesday 24th April, after work c5.40pm onwards, saw more Redstarts at Gunton, alas too far away to photograph, initially saw a female on the fence looking north along the inward side of the Gunton ORT and then another smart male Redstart (not so much white at the base of the bill) but still a really smart bird. He perched on the fence and the ground too.

North Denes Iberian Chiff- Chaff

On Easter Monday April 22nd, a BINS tweet at 9.41am had me driving to North Parade and walking down the steps behind the Oval, I bumped into Rob Win, who had just seen the bird and after a brief chat I made my way to where Andrew, Rob and the 2 Fergusons who had beaten me to it again despite living south of the bridge! The bird could immediately be heard and was seen well in the sycamore directly in front of us, a superb Iberian Chiff- Chaff.

Garden Orange Tip

On Easter Sunday in the morning a fine male Orange Tip flew around the garden at around 11.30am.

Filby Broad Arctic Terns

On Good Friday 21st April, at around 11am a close Buzzard almost flew over the garden flying north over next doors garden and very low too, yo. On Easter Saturday afternoon 22nd April, having rested my eyes over Easter due to severe eye strain (need new prescription glasses) looking at Filby broad, unfortunately looking straight into the Sun, not the best thing to do with severe eye strain especially! I could see 13 Terns flying over the west side of the Broad. At least 3 were definitely Arctic Terns and probably another 8 were too and 2 Common Terns. The other 8 looked more Arctic like flying (smaller with long tail streamers and translucent primaries on at least 3) a more bouncy flight but difficult to ascertain given the direction of the sun. Mat Sh was the other side looking back in perfect light for him (not sure how you get around there) and he confirmed there were 11 Arctics and 2 Commons. I could not make out the Scaup at all all the ducks were looking light silhouettes looking almost directly into the sun. A walk over to Ormsby Little Broad, 2 Common Terns flew east. At the jetty, a Great crested Grebe swam in, a close Coot and Blue Tit showed too.

Gunton Migrants

On Tuesday 16th April, following a tweet from James W, I headed over on the early evening to Gunton and from the woodland burial looked north from the newly installed fence and saw a wonderful stunning male Redstart pop put and perch on the fence and mud on the ground. I was joined by Rob Wil, Maurice B, Andrew E and James W. Behind us on the woodland burial and reasonably confiding Wheatear hung around a rough scrapped area of ground too.

Double dip day

On Sunday 14th in the early afternoon, I tried for the GG Shrike near Thorington around the Church Farm area just off the A12 and there was no sign of it 2 Mistle Thrushes flying into the large trees by the road side only birds seen. At Rockland Broad once I'd worked out where to go (good there was a map giving directions at the site) on the walk down I heard my first Blackcap of the year and 1 additional heard from the hide too. Failed to see any Ospreys but a calling Greenshank that flew south right over the hide was nice as was the Spoonbill flying east over the Broad called by OFB, Maurice B and earlier John B & Julie B seen earlier). Still awaiting more summer migrant sightings, Swallows in particular are conspicuous by their absence.

Standard North Denes fare

James W thought it was disappointing his after his walk around the Ness Point and Gunton yet he had 2 each of Black Redstarts (a species I still need to see for 2019) and 2 RLP's on the Oval I didn't see any of that. On Sunday 7th April, still suffering from a heavy cold, sore eyes etc and not energetic enough to do the marathon for the peripatetic Hoopoe either side of around the north and south dunes at Winterton, so instead in the afternoon, standard birding around the North Denes which these days means not a lot about. Best for me were 3 Kittiwakes over Hamilton Dock and 12 Linnet in the Ting Dene caravan park development on land which was so supposed to be North Denes land for "light recreational use" as clearly stated in the Local Plan (ie. tents being put up but not developed with permanent mobile phones and underground pipes for water etc) use.

Elusive Bluethroat at Herringfleet Marshes

On Saturday 6th April, feeling very much under the weather with a streaming cold, I finally managed to overcome my lethargy and at 3.30pm I was at Herringfleet Marshes having parked in my secret spot and walking up to the spot half way between the pub and Smock's Mill and a group of birders around 5 were leaving they had just seen it and it had flown down the path, typical! An hour and a half later still nothing and all the birders left. At 5.40pm just after the last birder had left, I saw a bird with chestnut outer-tail feathers fly down the mowed bit between the path and the ditch, clearly this was the White- spotted Bluethroat, only problem was I couldn't re-find it, it had appeared to land in the mown bit between the path and the reeds but I couldn't see it. Exactly an hour later at 6.40-6.42pm, it was seen moving quickly around the mown area, just 30 yards south of the first wet puddle area and this time I could clearly see it the blue on the breast and the tiny white spot in the middle before flying back into the reeds behind the mown area and it was not seen again. It was very misty and with wet missle most of the time, so the only other birds I saw were Teal, Little Egret and 3 Reed Buntings by the reeds and a Chinese Water Deer was further down the track as I walked back. I spent 2.5 hours there and saw the bird for 2.2 minutes. Chiff- Chaff also heard. Driving along the road just before almost passing Somerleyton Hall I almost ran over a Hare but my prompt reaction and quick braking enabled me to avoid it, and it ran over to the wall.

Brecks trip

On Friday 29th March, a very early start picking up David T from Harford Park and ride at 4.15pm, we arrived at Santon Downham 90 minutes later. From the car park, a calling Nuthatch was seen flying to another tree, perched neat the top. Also rasping Bramblings were heard and up to 3 seen in a tree opposite as well as 1 Brambling seen in a tree by the edge of the car park. We walked over to the bridge, where a calling Grey Wagtail flew away and a pair of Mandarins flew down the river. Walking along the path, by the bushes on the right a whole cacophony of rasps and wheezes, revealed an incredible tally of 50+ Bramblings, all flying around flying up to trees. TO BE CONTINUED