Garden Wren & diver no show

On Sunday 27th November, first thing in the back garden a visiting cat, disturbed a lovely Wren that flew out from the side Buddlea bush and to the back trees. After the rain had stopped early afternoon, no sign at all of the Divers along Lale Lothing.

2 Divers at Lake Lothing

On Saturday 26th November I parked at the south end of Normanston Park and walked over to Lake Lothing, seeing a Kingfisher fly by, 2 Little Grebes seen too. Initially there was no sign of the GND, I bumped into Roger but a tweet from Andrew E from the Cruising Club and we saw the fine Great Northern Diver swimming left along the channel fairly close in but right up against the sun, light was a serious problem here for photos. The bird very slowly swam left/ north and I managed to get onto the concrete jetty, a good vantage point for photography & the light improved but only when the bird had swum further north & was much further away. It appeared quite sleepy and had its eyes closed on many occasions. Hopefully the bird was tired after a big of big meal of crabs and fish and is not ill. From the Cruising club, with Roger, we saw another Kingfisher speed by, we spotted the Red- throated Diver looking south and it was near the wooden wreck for a short while before swimming left and out of sight. James C arrived and we showed him where the RT Dibver had been seen and thought that the GND had swam east along Lake Lothing, little did we know it had doubled back and showed brilliantly briefly by the cruising club barely 20 minutes afater we had left following tweets from James W, that was hard to take, but this sums up the year where I have struggled with bad luck with pics all year. At least I saw the GND. A return visit in the afternoon, in the hope of getting better pics proved fruitless as we didn't see the GND at all. A Little Egret seen briefly by the shoreline, where I joined Rob H and Justin L amongst thers. The Red- throated Diver was still around the wooden wreck this time asleep. Rob H and I enjoined a mini bit of vis mig migration with a sadly now rare sighting of a Lowestoft Mistle Thrush flying south overhead, we heard Grey Wagtail and also saw a pair of Pintail flying south, a male quickly followed by a female. Sadly, no further sighting of the GND this afternoon.

Pair of Oystercatchers flying over the Burrage Centre

On Thursday 24th February, leaving work James Paget Hospital at 5.20pm in the dark, a little later than usual I was rewarded when I heard the shrill call of Oystercatcher and was fortunate enough to see first one and then 2 Oystercatchers flying close together low and south over the Burrage Centre before turning around and flying north- west.

Oulton Broad Red- crested Pochard

On Sunday 20th November, in the afternoon, a look around Oulton Broad failed to locate a potential GN Diver that had been seen around Lowestoft harbour and I was looking to see if it made its way into Lake Lothing, no luck. I had success eventually with the Red- crested Pochard that was seen in a distant garden looking north west across Oulton Broad from the jetty just south of the OB Sailing club, it was in one of the very far garden (not too far away from Fisher Row) where a grassy lawn led down to the Broad, around 8 Mallards and the fine male Red- crested Pochard was seen partially obscured as it spent much of its time behind a boat trailer!

Filby Broad birds

During the morning on Sunday 20th November, I drove over to Filby Broad, from the boardwalk, looking to the left, by c30 Tufted Ducks, a 1st winter male Ring- necked Duck seen in the water in front of some green steps, the black & white banded bill at the tip stood out. At the far back between some islands hosting some Cormorants. Some ducks swimming in the dark water by the reeds and showed reddish mahogany brown plumage and white under the tail just about proving they were 2 Ferruginous Ducks but a long way off! The Ring- necked Duck was seen among a raft of Tufted Ducks just left of a second area of reeds jutting out into the water. A female Scaup-like Tufted Duck, with a nominally thick white band by the bill but quite dark backed seen too. The boardwalk was packed with around 10 birders at one point on there all looking for the rare ducks. One board near me was definitely worn out and I had to warn all those passing by to avoid that particular plank! Nice to see Peter C and Justin L. POSTSCRIPT: I have seen pics of a different bird that is clearly a Scaup, but bird I saw was clearly a Scaup-like female Tuftie!

Ness Point seawatch

On Saturday 19th November, an adult winter Little Gull seen on the sea close in just past the finger with BH Gulls, it then flew south, another seen in the same area on the sea and a final one flew south near the horizon, so 3 ad winter Little Gulls seen in all. c8 adult winter Kittiwakes also flew south. 12 Wigeon flew south, as well as 5 and then 8 Teal flying south. A fine adult Gannet flew north (almost on the horizon) and several Brent Geese flew south, 12, 5, 18, 6 and 7 in all. Back in the compound, a Redwing seen on the ridge and 5 Blackbirds. Finally a Rock Pipit flew south and then another flew north.

A few birthday birds

On Tuesday 15 November, I visited Ness Point and saw 3 Purple Sandpipers on the finger landward side. They walked over top the rocks to go to roost and I counted additional birds, so 5 Purple Sandpipers seen in total. as there was a very strong gusty SSE wind5, and a pair of very close Red- breasted Mergansers flew south, plus 35 Pintail flying south, 2 Dunlin S & 20 Teal flew south. At the end of Hamilton Road I joined Andrew E and we saw 4 Dunlin and 2 Snipe flying south. Flocks 0f 40 and 35 Brent Geese also flew south. One final thought, it has now been 5 years since Ricky F passed, but he is never forgotten.

LEO and Firecrest

On Sunday 13th November, a tweet stating Josh had a LEO on Gunton Warren had me parking up 20 minutes later, by the Warren, I walked down the cliff and saw Matt S and as we looked up the slope a chap was looking from the top, he must have disturbed the LEO from the bush as we saw the fine Long- eared Owl fly out, darker and browner than SEO with more rounded wing tips than SEO and noticably orange primary patches, with heavily streaked body and finely barred underwing wing tip. We then saw it fly again for 10 seconds as it flew north- west and out of sight obscured by vegetation. We searched along the top cliff and Hubbards Loke and the Shelter belt by Dip farm to no avail. I then left Matt who was going to Walberswick hoping to catch up with the Red- rumps, I tackled Corton Woods, where along the edge I failed to see Fireccrest where Josh had seen them but I heard both Green Woodpecker and Great- Spotted woodpecker. As I looked around the pond, I could hear a Firecrest calling and I started pishing and a fine Firecrest popped out of the bush just west of the pond, my first of the year. Several Long- tailed Tits seen but little else. Looking around Corton OSW, I heard and saw a Grey Wagtail fly south over the OSW complex. There were 2 big puddles just by path running past the compound and towards the cliffs and it was attracting a lot of common birds including 2 Song Thrush, 8 Greenfinches, 2 Robins, 3 Chaffinches, a Meadow Pipit and a female Linnet all bathing. Sadly looking into the light so no pics. Walking around and back 2 Collared Doves joined them and a Blackbird bathing in the dyke. a charm of 15 Goldfinches also seen, nice to see so many birds. Unsurprisingly, Corton churchyards was quiet as a female Sparrowhawk shot towards me and flew south, a trio of Long-tailed Tits hid in the bushes. A tweet stating Rob Wil had a Siberian Chiff- Chaff south end of Flycatcher Alley I parked along Gunton Cliff and saw Josh we looked over the trees bordering the south side of the Oval and heard the lost chick call but also the more typical Hweet call of a Chiff- Chaff, we saw the aforementioned bird it was very pale below but when we saw it in good sunshine it showed an olive back, so it was probably an intermediate bird and not a Tristis. Several flocks c30 x2 of dark- bellied Brent Geese flying south, including a large flock of c100 Dark- bellied Brent Geese also flying south.

Trio of Red- rumped Swallows at Walberswick

On Saturday 12 November, I was delighted to hear that the trio of Red- rumped Swallows were still at Walberwick harbour having been seen in the area over the previous 2 days, so after the first tweet I headed staright down to Walberswick harbour car park and immediately saw a line of 5 birders looking south. I soon spotted all 3 birds initially quite distantly but they gradually flew closer giving reasonable middle distance views. They were seen above a large conifer and appeared to be hawking for insects over Walberswick village. By 8.25am they had drifted south so I drove out and back through the village and by the Green, some cars had parked up and birders looking south. I parked up and amazingly we saw the trio of Red- rumped Swallows perched on the wires they were constantly preening but we had cross light and as I edged closer I needed to get to the other side for much better light. I retread my steps and walking across the Village Green I approached from the other side and the light was much better, it was perfect in fact. By now, the 3 Red- rumps had rested up and were hawking around the Green and just east of us. David W, Matthew D and Paul & Jane F as well as Jon B & John G turned up and we saw one bird flying past the moon. Using my 100- 400mm was not just enough zoom for the flight shots. But they soon came to rest on the wires again and I was able to get a little closer without disturbing them and they were busy preening again, they rested up for a further 10 minutes before habving another fly around before they settled on the wires again for just 5 minutes before they they flew west at 9.30am. We heard Ed Sheeran was filming on Southwold Beach so parking in the car park I had paid for 3 hours at the Walberswick Harbour east end, I saw a couple of tents Enterprise Rent-a-car vans and one big lighting rig and resting on the most easterly of 4 chairs was a very relaxed ed Shheran with a shock bright ginger hair and his arms resting behind his head. Some security guards spotted me and he was soon moved before I could get a record shot!

Bee Orchid rosettes just appeared

On Tuesday 8th November, following the biblical rain that we had endured the previous weekend, I was delighted to find that 2 fresh Bee Orchid rosettes had just appeared within the 2 cages protecting the plants just outside Sir James Paget Library.

Small Tortoiseshell at the Library

The previous weekend it had rained continuously so no birding despite wanting to look for the EYW at Carlton, so another dip of course. On Monday 7th November, at 11.25am, I rescued a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly in pristine condition that had just flown into the Sir James Paget Library by the door, it flew away strongly. at 11.45am, walking to the main Hospital building from the Burrage Centre, a Grey Wagtail flew over.

Mega dip day but Crimson Speckled was nice

On Saturday 29th October, I drove down to Aldeburgh and walking down to the Martello Tower, just 20 minutes after first light I was extremely disappointed (to say the least) to hear the Alpine Accentor not only wasn't showing (I'd missed it in the gloom by 20 minutes) but it had flown off high to the west, it never came back. Black-tailed Godwit was seen and a Purple Sandpiper flew onto a wooden groyne, around 300 metres south of the Tower. I then cut my losses and went to Hazlewood Marshes which had some nice birds, including a Greenshank flying west and then it flew back onto the estuary. 4 Bar- tailed Godwits seen plus up to 3 Water Pipits and a fine Osprey seen perched on the first of 3 short posts sticking out of the water just south of the hide. I raced back to Ness Point after Rob Wil had found a Crimson Speckled and he had very considerately arranged some sticks in the form of an arrow pointing out exactly where this moth was, clinging to a Buddlea, but I was fortunate that James C, Rob H, Chris & Alison A were there to point it out to me. The following Friday, I missed the chance to go for the AA at BP, Norfolk too.