Dead mustelid

On Friday 23rd February, travelling to work at 8.00am I saw a freshly dead Mustelid, either a Polecat or ferret, I should have stopped but didn't check it until 5.15pm where sadly it been further run over and looked like a Polecat but too squashed to find out for certain.

Back to the Wild Swans briefly

On Monday 19th the promise of a sunny start meant I went back to a Sutton field and the 41 Whoopers Swans were still by the roadside.

Dowitcher, Smew & Wild Swans

On Saturday 17th February, after rain all night, I walked in wellington boots down to the far end of Carlton marshes and saw the fine Long- billed Dowitcher amongst all the Black- tailed Godwit. I also saw the 3 male Pochards on an eastern pool on Petos too. 2 Smew flew east at the cafe hide, flew east looking to the left over Rollesby broad. 41 Whooper Swans and 5 Mutes at Sutton and 1 Bewick's Swan in a field by a pool, just north of a pub at Hickling.

Return to the LT Duck

On Monday 12th February, I returned to Benacre Broad and from the beach I saw 3 Ringed Plovers, were on the Broad edge and one was quite confiding, I was able to get pictures without disturbing it. The fine Long- tailed Duck was by the eastern side of the Broad but I had to wait a couple of hours before it came near to the beach edge after I had seen Carl B walk north along the beach. I had been looking from the hide, where I saw 2 female Marsh Harriers quartering the reeds at the back. 4 Goldeneye, a male and 3 females were seen straight out on the Broad as was a pair of Pintail (1 male & 1 female). Around 15 Teal and 10 Gadwall were also seen. Walking back to the beach, the fine Long- tailed Duck initially seen close in by the north- east corner of the Broad before it swam closer to the middle edge where I obtained a few pictures.

Dipped the Dowitcher

On Sunday 11th February, a trip to Burgh castle TBC

Bunting bonanza at Kessingland

On Saturday 10th February, I decided to visit Kessingland North beach, from the Heathlands steps I walked south to the reedy area and just east of there, I witnessed a fairly flighty flock of around 35 Snow Buntings flying around and briefly settled but they were very flighty and seen on several occasions and then I saw Chris D, who said he'd just seen the Laplands fly a little north and said I needed to work the triangular strip between the reedy area and the beach some 500 metres worth, saying check every bit of marram grass and particularly the laid flat deadd grassy tussocks and mounds. I then wandered north and saw the bird in flight, it called its distinctive dry soft rattling "prrrt" confirming it as the fantastic Lapland Bunting It then flew to a large Sea buckthorn bush and perched for a while, through the scope, it showed the 2 white wing bars and reddish brown wing coverts giving visual confirmation to my initial ID. It then disappeared and I only saw it when I walked and the bird flew from some marram grass as i walked back around 50 metres. It flew north and by carefully walking north it fed on some flattened dead grass and I watched it for some 15 minutes as it fed around the back of some marram grass, I managed a few pictures before it suddenly took to flight and flew south 50 metres again. Instead of wandering back to the main shore pool, I walked back up the steps and from the bench at the top, the lazy way out I scoped 2 fine Sanderling on the seaward side edge of the shore pool back in thr middle. I checked Heathlands copse nothing in there save for a couple of Wood Pigeons.

St Benet's Birds

On Wednesday 7th February, leaving work at 2.30pm, with Matthew back I decided to go to St Benet's to try for the Short-eared Owls. As soon as I arrived I saw one at the back hunting the field to the north, a fine but distant Short- eared Owl. Looking south from the car park, another distant Short- eared owl seen. Later a fine distant male Hen Harrier flew from left to right looking south from the car park. Meanwhile, looking north from the car park, the distant Short-eared Owl flew east and I followed it down the track and the Owl flew over the field and over the track sadly looking into the light. Then, I heard "whooping" calls and I saw a fine flock of 25 Whooper Swans flew west.

Spot the Carlton Dowitcher

On Friday 2nd February, I had the afternoon off after work to help look after Jenny after her total knee replacement op at the Paget and once she had been discharged and I made sure she was OK, I drove to Carlton at 3pm and walked down to Peto's Marsh. I met Carl B on the way back saying you'll get some great pictures, but as I arrived along the track to Turnpike Hide, it was immediately apparent the bird I was after had flown a little way. The excellent Long- billed Dowitcher was amongst 2 Dunlin, the 3rd from the right but slightly bigger, dumpier with greyish back, green legs but it was asleep. When it woke up its very long bills was noted. Suddenly all the Godwits took to flight including the Dowitcher and then settled slightly further back.

We have lost our beloved boy, Cosmo

Very sad to report we have suddenly lost our beloved boy, Cosmo, our Tabby Cat this morning. We are devastated. He sometimes runs around in a crazy state, we called it his "horse-y cat" state as he ran around like a thoroughbred emitting a deep 'yowl' and he did this again today but this time, fatally and tragically he suddenly keeled over in the hall by the entrance to the kitchen and emitted a terrible cry & suddenly died, we think from a heart attack. This was totally and beyond awful & happened at 8.10am this morning 1st February, both Jenny & I were with him at the end. Our beautiful and handsome boy was only 10.7 years old having been born in July 2013. As a young Kitten, barely weeks old, he had initially featured in the Lowestoft Journal as a consignment of kittens that had been brought to the vets as the 'person' in question was considering putting them into a sack and throwing them in the river. The vet refused to do this & we adopted him from the RSPCA. We had visited an address in Malvern Rise, Lowestoft and the lady there had her bungalow set up for rescue cats and kittens, when she showed us into a room, there was a big ball of black and white cats, a tortoiseshell and 1 Tabby, which suddenly I said could we have that one please, pointing at our future cat, Cosmo- we were in luck as he was available. I was so pleased. We named him Cosmo. When he was a kitten, he was a real bundle of fun and would cosy up with Comet our other Kitten (black and white) that we adopted also at that time. They really were the dream team as pets as they had totally different personalities, but often cuddled up together. As a kitten cat and indeed as a young cat too for up to 2.5 years old he would suck my fingers, an indication that he had been parted from his mother far too soon, but it was an endearing bond between him and me, he was still sucking my fingers even after he had grown out of kittenhood. Cosmo was a real character who in his prime, would go missing for up to 4 hours at a time (and consequently get me worried for his safety) usually at the back of the house in what was the wilderness beyond. One time, in searching for him, I saw him playing with a Wood Mouse, 'growling' in hunter mode. He always emitted a growling sound when he had a prey item (usually a mouse or vole) in his mouth. Early on in his life, he liked to go and visit the neighbours wandering in any open windows left open in the summer and our neighbours were constantly saying that they had visits from Cosmo and I think they very much enjoyed his company, too. He was such a character and we loved him dearly. One time, when he was just over 1 year old he went missing for a day and a half in August 2014 and I took leave from work in order to search for him, I leafletted around a 100 houses and knocked on the doors of the immediate neighbours several times. That afternoon, a neighbour next door (but one) rang to say they had just freed him as he had been trapped in their car all this time. Highly unlikely, for a day and a half in those temperatures, I think not, also I went up to this car and called his name and I knew he would have responded as he always did when he was nearby when I called his name. I don't believe this, we think he called in to their house and they were looking at taking him perhaps thinking he was a friendly stray, only with me ringing the door bell and leafletting the property appealed to their conscience perhaps and let him go. I don't believe he was trapped in their car & if this was the case (and we have our doubts) he would have been very lucky to survive as it was during baking temeratures in August. We were so pleased to get him back. After that, he appeared to stopp visiting the neighbours homes in this way settling for either wondering outside at the front, sometimes sitting underneath cars or sitting on the window sill. If I went outside, at the front I had to be careful, if he was over the road he would always pop across to see me regardless of any traffic and we feared for him being hit, but fortunately he never was. I also had to be careful taking the bins out down the side passage as he would always follow me to the front, even I I closed the gate as he would leap onto the fence and walk along that to join me at the front. Another of his nine lives used up was when he came back one night completely salivating (with small pools of saliva on the duvet that night- we suspect he had ingested a small amount of poison/ insecticide) and I stayed up all night with him encouraging him to take water. Now, I would have rushed him to the night vets (not available then). Fortunately, he was as right as rain the next morning and we had him fully checked over by the vet on his annual check up the following week. He used to hate having his temperature at the vets and his hissing would only stop if I petted him and said "it's alright my boy" In his younger days, he would often get into fearful scraps with neighbouring cats and several times he had massive bumps on his face/ body which amassed due to an infection and we had to whisk him over to the vets for curative anti-biotic injections. One time, he came back from the back with 3 great bumps on his face a torn claw and we rushed him to the vets where he had an anti-biotic injections, we believe he was either attacked by a Fox or a dog and was lucky to survive this, he made a full recovery. I soon got attuned to listening any cat scraps, with terrible screeching noises as I knew it would involve Cossie and I would run outside and he would come running back to me, when I called his name. He loved a stick game outside in the back garden where I would run around the garden with a trailing stick and he would launch himself like an exocet missile from one side of the garden to another ending up attacking the stick! He often seemed to go outside when it was wet and when he came back in again his coat of fur was matted just like an otter and I used to say "you're all wet!" and he loved being towelled dry. He also loved playing with cat toys and sometimes these furry balls would roll underneath the book case and it was quite funny when I produced a torch out to seek out where the ball was in the dark crevice, he would lie down too and look for it with me (see pic below- now a much treasured possession). He was above all such a loving cat, he loved being rubbed at the side of his head, having his ears rubbed and under his chin and he would purr quite loudly, obviously very contented, this would often lead to a lovely 'tribble' purr and he would often sit on your lap too. He would come around the back of you and head butt from the left side and then the right and then the left and he loved being made a fuss off. He had several cries, cat language that I could easily interprete including a kitten cry usually emitted when he wanted a special fuss, which of course he always received. Another cry for food (usually emitted everyday as he loved his food. In particular when I was making ham and cheese toasties, he always came down for a little titbit of ham which he loved, which he wolfed down. He loved pieces of freshly cooked chicken he'd be there in flash when I said "chicken or "fish" for and fish. If you threw a small piece of ham, his party tryck was to catch it like an alligator and wolf it down! We shared a very special bond together, when I returned from work, or from elsewhere if he was outside at the front he was nearly always be there or I'd see him come running back to go back into the house from the front door. Cossie would always jump through the cat flap to go outside. When I took the bins out from the back garden down to the side passage to the front garden, he would always follow me. When he was on the outside kitchen window ledge, I would let him in and I would say "I help, I help" and he would always pause to let me lift him down onto the kitchen floor as he was quite a heavy cat and didn't want him to jar his legs. If he was inside when I returned home he would always come down the stairs to greet me. Cosmo had a very good appetite and loved his food. When it was bedtime he would leap on the bed and I would put my arm outside the duvet and he would flop onto the whole length of my arm for me to tickle his chin and enjoy the warmth. There was nothing better that a Cossie cuddle, I used to say. It was so soothing for me I always quickly drifted off to sleep, a great cure for insomnia. He was a wonderful great big cuddle/ teddy cat. He was so lovely. When I called him from the back door if he was around he would come running back to me crying 'meeoow- meeooww- meooww' and be so pleased to see me. He had a penchant for tiger bread rolls and loved licking them. When we bought anything new contained within a box he loved to sit in it for the next few days, which was quite comical. He was a constant presence in our lives, a perfect boy, an ideal pet and companion, a much loved member of the family and we shall miss him dreadfully. RIP Cosmo, our beautiful tiger boy, you enriched our lives so much, you will always be loved in our hearts and remembered, forever.