Possible then definite Waxwings

On Saturday 25th November, I had driven around Crestview Drive and possibly seen a small flock of c13 Waxwings flying off but only seen whilst driving so I couldn't be sure. However, on Sunday, 26th November, whilst cleaning my car, I saw a fine group of 13 trilling Waxwings flying NNE directly over the house/ garden at 3.06pm.

Nothing doing

On Sunday 26th November,I looked around Lake Lothing, the railway bridge, Lake Lothing Riverside, Oulton Broad, the Wherry, the Boulevard, Asda, Hamilton Dock, Ness Point and saw absolutely nothing bar 2 Oystercatchers and 30 Turnstone at Ness Point. No sign of the hoped for GND & Goosander.

Birthday birds and Goosander on the 19th

On Wednesday 15th November, I travelled to Kessingland. A search along the North Beach was initially unsuccessful, even though I had seen birders watching the S Larks near the pool opp the Pill box, they diseappeared totally for me and I looked down by the lighthouse and no luck there either. I tweeted negative news and Chris D kindly gave precise directions where to, back where the others birders hasd been looking but walking south just a few metres, around 50 metres ahead of me I briefly saw the 5 excellent Shore Larks on the beach before they flew north appearing to settle on the beach neat the lighthouse lookout. I saw John R and we looked up there and saw 2 fine Sanderlings on the eastern edge of the northern shore pool, along with 5 Ringed Plovers but no sign of either the Larks or the Buntings. A Fieldfare seen flying in off and continued inland. sadly a dead Grey seal was seen on the beach too. I walked around the main reedy pool just south and was delighted to see a fine Jack Snipe fly up but it flew inland. I then drove to Lowestoft no sign of Waxwings at Melrose Close but driving along Crestview drive at 3pm, sadly with the light going, I saw an incredible flock of 52 Waxwings perched in 2 trees by the layby just before the junction with Spashett Road, I counted the flock 3X to make sure I had a correct count, some birds flew down to the berry bush and started feeding but after a short while the whole flock flew and then flew down and circled around Foxborough drive for 10 minutes before they flew back to Crestview Drive at 3.15pm. On Sunday 19th along lake Lothing, I bumped into Paul & jane F & from the Lowestoft Cruising Club, I breifly saw the redhead Goosander swimming towards Mutford Lock. We made our way over to Mutford Lock and we saw the fine female redhead Goosander actively fishing just beneath the waterline the far southern end of the lock, I made my way over the bridge in order to get some pics but she started swimming back north and the flew west over the bridge.

Return to Benacre

On Sunday 12th November, a quick check of Melrose Close failed to reveal any waxwings. Next up, a very welcome return to Benacre Broad, walking down to the new hide, a Goldcrest noted in the woods. A quick scan of the Broad revealed a fine male Red- breasted Merganser, right over the far northern side of the Broad. Also there on first scan were a male Pintail, 28 Wigeon and 40 Gadwall. Close in, just outside the inlet directly in front of the hide were 2 immature Brent Geese feeding with 2 Mallards they soon swam west out on the Broad amongst the GBB Gulls c20 seen, were 3 adult Mediterranean Gulls. Meanwhile in the middle of the Broad the fine immature Velvet Scoter was seen, surely the same as the Lowestoft bird. Switching to the scope, I could not find the male RBM, it just disappeared as if by thin air, I didn't see if fly off, where did it go? However, he was soon replaced by a female Red- breasted Merganser which was often close by the Velvet Scoter. A further scan revealed a female Pintail and then first one male Goldeneye surfaced quickly followed by a female Goldeneye too. A follow up trip to Kessingland north beach, nice to see the 11 Snow Buntings in flight flying north and the feeding by the short section of a thick black pipe on the beach including 1 whiter male bird but no sign whatsoever of the Shore Larks which were conspicuously absent. James W and Jon B had also checked the area too, no sign. A return visit to Melrose Close, Oulton, Lowestoft around 2.40pm was much more successful with Waxwings seen perched up and in flight, they flew to a close Mountain Ash tree and started feeding, I counted 12 Waxwings but the whole group then flew high north- west. POSTSCRIPT: Having compared Carl B's shot of the bird on Benacre Broad with the recent Mutford Lock/ Oulton Broad bird I am convinced they are the same bird as the facial markings fit exactly.

Great Northern Diver around the Lowestoft Harbour area

As I walked around to the south- west section of the marsh at Southwold in the hope of finding a WF Goose, this proved unsuccessful but incredibly a tweet from Jon W stating he picked up a stricken GN Diver in the middle of the road at barnby, after vets refused to take it due o fears of potential bird flu, Jon was to release it at Lake Lothing. So I started the long walk back and headed for the railway bridge in the hope I would se it from there. Itb was seen here by Rob Wil, but when I arrived there I had updated mesages saying it was swimming towards Asda, seen from Asda cafe and then heading towards the Bascule bridge, so I decided to park up near the South Pier. As I drove south over the Bascule Bridge I could see from the car the fine Great Northern Diver swimming vigorously east! I parked in a 30 minute parking bay and ran to the area overlooking the harbour and the channel to Hamilton Dock, I saw Jane & Paul F who said it was swimming into Hamilton Dock and I saw the bird itself, an immature bird with brown head, distinctive scaly back & it was swimming intently for Hamilton Dock, time to leave but sadly a 20 minute bridger delayed our arrival to Hamilton Road and the Diver was seen in the channel briefly before it disappeared into Hamilton Dock, Paul expertly found 20 minutes later, fortuitously as both Derek & Gillian M drew up and we were able to show them the bird before it it appeared to swim out to sea. But the arrival of a large ship pushhed it back in to the channel again where again it disappeared into Hamilton Dock, where 10 minutes later I saw it swim out and this time it headed out to sea again at 3.40pm, this time not to return. The bird appeared healthy and had regular diving sorties but no prey items were observed, we hope this bird will recovered sufficiently to continue its migration or indeed have a longer stay around the watery environs of Lowestoft. (PICS LIBRARY PICS ONLY)

Lesser Yellowlegs at Southwold

On Saturday 11th November, after hearing that the 'Legs was at Southwold still, I drove via Wangford (to avoid the water by Reydon bridge) and parked by Blah Blah hill and walked by the east path bordering the Town Marsh, walking past a slight flooded area, the second flooded pool was more substantial and i greeting John B and his family who hadn't seen it yet. Fortunately I quickly spotted it, the fine Lesser Yellowlegs, in front of a Canada Goose and looking reasonably close to the path 30 metres away. Unfortunately as we walked up (we didn't flush it) It flew to a pool behind. 30 minutes of searching revealed a group of around 30 Black- tailed Godwits, a Snipe, around 7 Redshank and when I was on the mobile phone it suddenly dropped in from the back reasonably close. It fed around the area settled on a tiny grassy island and the walked back a little when the sun came out and illuminated pool in golden sunlight. Then around 400 Barnacle Geese flew in and pushed the bird to the back of the pool, we were joined by Matthew D and the settling Barnacles, disturbed a fine diminutive Jack Snipe that flew up and settled in the south- west section of the marsh.

Song Thrush in the garden

On Saturday 11th November, at 8.45am in the morning I saw a Song Thrush fly down from the west and start hunting for food in the garden for about a minute or so before it abuptly flew left and into the west hedgerow. Our new 6 month old cat Whitby, a few seconds later flew across the garden from the east side and into the west hedgerow. Fortunately he did not catch the bird as he came to the back door. It was very nice to see a Song Thrush in the garden, the first for 5 years (4 Feb 2018).

10 Waxwings at Crestview Drive

On Tuesday 7th November, leaving work at 3.10pm, (taking my afternoon off a day earlier), I drove straight to Melrose Close & Stirling road, Oulton but no sign of the Waxwings. Driving along Crestview Drive just 50 metres south of the Spashett road junction, I first heard the trilling of the Waxwings and after stopping by a layby I saw a berry laden bush and 2 trees behind that the furthermost one revealed the excellent 10 Waxwings all perched up. I drove to the other side of the road to give them space to fly down and feed on the berries, which eventually 3 duly did. Unfortunately the sun was setting and the birds were mostly silhouetted so no pictures this time.

Aurora Borealis/ the Northern Lights- from Link's road car park, Lowestoft

On Sunday 5th November, just after 7pm, hearing that people were seeing the Aurora Borealis/ the Northern Lights locally, Roger C suggested trying Link's rd car park, that was a great idea! So I drove down there and looking due NNE I could see a very obvious creamy glow just above the horizon and also a bit of pink over the sea, seen with the naked eye. I was joined by Rene and his daughter Eden and she had an iphone with night mode and took a fantastic shot of the scene which really emphasised the pinks and greens, far more than you can see with the naked eye. My phone camera failed miserably. My especial thanks to Eden & Rene B who kindly allowed me to publish this shot. (PHOTO REPRODUCED BY VERY KIND PERMISSION OF EDEN BAPTISTE)

Velvet Scoter again in Mutford Lock

I left the fields near Woolpit as I was keen to photograph the Velvet Scoter in good light and it showed on the BBC Weather forecast full sun at 3pm! So at 2.50pm I parked up and joined Rob H and Rhianna by the wall at Saltwater way overlooking the Mutford Lock basin, the fine Velvet Scoter was swimming over towards us from the middle. It then started to swim away again, it then lifted up and flapped its wings before finally swimming over to join us.

No Eagle

A disappointing trip over to Woolpit/ Rattisdon which was fraught with difficulty as 3 routes I tried to get there had been closed and diversions were in place but no indication where the diversion was going, so what should have been a 75 minute journey was doubled to 150 minutes. I arrived but the Sat Nav had directed me to Dead man's Lane, Stowmarket, it didn't find Dead man's Lane Woolpit/ Rattisdon for some reason. Fortunately on the Bird Sightings What's App group site had a Google Maps link and within 15 minutes, I was driving up the correct Dead Man's Lane, near Woolpit, where I disturbed a Red Kite on the road feeding on a rabbit corpse. I then drew onto the concrete square where a few birders cars were parked and I saw Brian from Essex, no luck with the Eagle it had flown off earlier and didn't return whilst I was there but there were 2 excellent Grey Partridges hunkered down in the field to the right, my first since the Mutford birds Jane & Paul F had told me about a few years ago, sadly too far away to photograph. Meanwhile in the distance the Red Kite was mobbing a Buzzard over the distant woodland.

Wet Saturday

On Saturday 4th November, it was very windy and raining I checked Hamilton Dock but no sign of the VS, a tweet saying a Leach's had been sighted flying north, so I looked sheltering against the Harbour Wall and the remains of the Coastguard look out where I spotted Andrew E, only birds seen was a close juvenile Gannet flying south and 3 close Brent Geese also flying south. I checked the Hollingsworth estate for the possibility of Waxwings, no luck I was about 14 hours too early!

Finally, the Velvet Scoter!

On Wednesday 1st November, another very early morning before work trip to Mutford Lock, I instantly saw the fine Velvet Scoter and also 2 1st winter Shags and a Little Egret fishing very close to the path but the light was awful. Looking into the sun reflecting off the water made photography extremely difficult. A return visit in the afternoon and the light was better with the sun behind me but rather annoyingly, I just missed the chink of sunlight that illuminated the scene which was promptly covered by cloud the very second I got there! The fine Velvet Scoter was fishing very close to the bridge path again and I was joined by Peter No and later by Dick W and we enjoyed good views. The bird would swim right and then it turned left, it would then promptly dive every time, often surfacing minutes later with a mussel between its mandibles, which it would promptly devour! Once or twice it rose up on its haunches and flapped its wings showing the white on the wings. It then swam back almost to the area underneath the railway line before it once again returned to the south side of Mutford Lock. Where I managed a few shots and pleased with the results.

No sign of the Scoter for me

On Tuesday 31st October, on a misty foggy morning before work I drove to near Mutford Lock and looked in the basin there was a lot of fog but no sign of the VS, I was particularly keen to see and photograph this bird as I hadn't got a decent picture of this species before save for a mid distance shot of one on the North sea off Gunton beach, years ago when there was a Dusky warbler in Warren House Wood. I hadn't close views of this species for many year probably 35- 40 years ago when their used to be 4 Benacre Pits and the largest seawrd pit would often host winter wildfowl goodies such as Scoters, Divers and Grebes. I also checked Lake Lothing and a fishing 1st winter Shag was seen as well as the immature Brent Goose still on the shore line until a dog flushed it onto the water. I had a quick scan over Oulton Broad and couldn't see anything there either. Time to go back to work and the sun finally up and illuminating the Paget car park at 8.20am. It was rather disconcerting to hear the bird was promptly picked up on Oulton Broad sighted from both the Wherry and the Boulevard, (both perfect places for morning photography) barely 30 minutes later!