Sunday 10 November 2019

Reasonably showy Humes' and elusive Pallas's Warblers

On Sunday 10th November, first stop, up at Hopton cliff top path and I am pleased to say the Holiday camp car park is now open again, so I duly parked there. I saw a suitably chastised James B, eating great chunks of humble pie, as he had made the dash over to Walberswick very early morning to twitch the super Eastern Yellow Wagtail, which apparently would never be "confirmed or accepted??!" Our luck was out because we saw no sign of the Eastern Lesser Whitethroat (Ferguson luck now having worn off!) All I saw was a rather hoarse calling Chiff- Chaff. I looked over at the beach but instantly gave up as a couple with 5 dogs were all over the beach. Further blanks at Hopton track and Corton Old sewage works, where distressingly I saw half of the field just north of the OSW was being developed (the area by Broadland Sands and the area by the cliff) perhaps for more holiday homes, equalling loss of habitat and let more inevitable disturbance from humans and dogs and probably more fly tipping too (which has increased exponentially since they expanded on the inland field). I then went back to behind the Oval almost instantly seeing the Humes' Warbler down the slope by the steps by the northern part of the Oval. It was in a close Sycamore and called a few times before flying across the path and flew into the tree right by the path (west side) calling 3 times but we couldn't see it though. It flew out across the path and it the tall Sycamores lining the Alley walk at the bottom, where we saw it well. It moved a little way south. walking back to the Ravine steps, we suddenly heard a Humes' Warbler constantly calling around 30 times, looking from the top by the North Parade, we couldn't see it. I went down the Ravine steps and at the bottom, we could see it in very low foliage but people charging up the slope was enough for me, so I ran up the Ravine steps (or rather 3/4 because I was totally exhausted and out of breath, no change since school as on school runs it was always the same!) At the top, near the slope by the North steps, I used up the last vestiges of Ferguson luck when the bird showed well in the middle of a tall Sycamore for several minutes and I managed to fire off a few pics. Back at Kessingland Swage works the Pallas' Warbler was very elusive but in the "Firecrest thicket" opposite the Sewage beds, the northern end, I saw the a glimpse of the bird where I noted the striking yellow supercilium and even the yellow rump when it hovered briefly and that was it. It was always moving at the back of the bush. 2 Chiff- Chaffs were also seen and around 8 Long- tailed Tits. Back at Lowestoft, a check of the Oval and a quick swatch at the end of Swimming Pool road failed to reveal any Little Auks, Skuas or anything.

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