Local patch = few birds

On Sunday 26th May, early on I had a look at Corton Old Sewage Works and failed to see the RBS, although pleasingly there was a nice creche of Starlings with 48 youngsters accompanied by around 18 adults. A hunting male Kestrel was seen in the field just north. Nothing birdwise at Netposts or Ness Point, however I did see a close Green Hairstreak on the southside of the bramble bush that the then Waveney District Council tried to destroy, fortunately to no avail. Sadly no macro lens with me.

Skin of the teeth!

On Saturday 25th May at around 8.30pm I checked the phone and I had forgotten I had switched the audible alerts off as I was in a meeting at work yesterday. There were several messages stating tfrom 4.59pm here was an RBS at Corton ORT, so by 8.45pm I was walking down the track to Corton cliffs, I met a a birder walking back said he'd just seen it but it had dropped out of view. Along the cliff top path, I walked north half way along so I could look back into the SE corner of the old sewage works. A Wood Pigeon and male Linnet were on view intially but no Shrike. Then literally a minute later the fine male Red- backed Shrike popped up in the Tamarisk bushes in the most south- easterly part of the Tamarisk looking into the compound before it dropped out of sight after 2 minutes, presumably into roost. I didn't see it again.

Bee Orchids and RBS

On Thursday 23rd May, early I visisted Lound on the hunt for an RBS seen in the evening before, I parked by the hill and walked up past the Lakes on the left, I saw a chap who hadn't seen it and neither did I. I did hear and see a Whitethroat though. the first flower on the Bee Orchids in the garden at the James Paget Hospital were starting to flower. In the evening, I headed over to Castle Marshes. Just after 6pm, I parked up in North Cove car park, hearing a brief snatch of Garden Warbler song but I couldn't see it. Going past the dykes, I sawa Hawker patrolling the dykes, almost certainly a Norfolk Hawker, although only seen in silhouette. I walked out to the river walk turning right for just 30 metres, it was nice to see Gavin and Tony B there, we were later joined by Phil D. too. Looking back over the Castle marshes, the excellent male Red- backed Shrike was seen. It was seen in a big islated bramble patch, perched up and actively hunting for insects and it dispatched several bumbles bees whilst I was there. It was a fine adult male in full summer plumage with a pinkish flush to thje breast being most vivid on the flanks particularly the rear flanks. It hunted around the length and the breadth of the bramble bush and surrounding dyke area, often flying down to the ground in pursuit of its prey. Whilst we were standing on the riverbank, we heard the very close bubbling call of a female Cuckoo but sadly we couldn't see it. A female Marsh Harrier also flew by. Walking back as, I was about to rejointhe path from the river bank, I heard another brief snatch of a Garden Warbler but again, I could't see it, a very vocal Chiff-Chaff was seen in the bush as well. I then travelled back to Carlton Marshes looking around the car park and reception but no sign of the SEO, people were still there and a child still playing in the play area.

Worlingham Marshes

A trip to Worlinghan Marshes on Sunday 19th May, as I parked up, up to 2 Swallows were on the overhead lines. As I walked down, I heard Whitethroats singing, one of the barbed wire gate barring access to the lane running west. Another Whitethroat sang from a bush bordering the path down to the river. Up to 2 Cuckoo were heard but no sight nor sound of a Garden W (always a very hard bird to see- last one seen in East Anglai 4 Oct 2020 at Sizewell)) seen earlier. Still no Willow W either. Also I saw no dragon or damselflies whatsoever during the walk. Back at the car, 2 Swallows, and then 3 took pity on me and landed on wires directly above the car.

Angel of the Woods and finally an ID Dragonfly for 2024

On Saturday 18 May, I travelled into deepest Suffolk and at the usual site, I had to repark as the usual parking area had 3 lots of broken glass small square fragments indicative of side windows being smashed. I therefore parked the car just off the road and walked on to a group of 4 Butterfly Orchids. They were a little bit past their best but one or 2 flowers were still nice near the top of the plant so I concentrated my pictures on this area. A Blackcap was heard singing, too. I then travelled onto the Hen Reedbeds, unusual to see all the corrugated iron sheets/ mats moved and nothing except Ants were seen underneath. I walked over to the Quarry, no sign of any Garden warbler but I did see a fine Nightingale fly from the hedge across the road to the car park hedgerow, its ruddy reddish- brown tail which was really obvious as it flew over. The Nightingale had been previously singing from across the road. In a bramble hedge bordering the road, with a couple of small Oak trees a fine female Broad- bodied Chaser, flew in this was my first belated sighting of an identifiable dragonfly species this year! She posed well for the camera, especially as I only had my 100mm lens with me and not my dedicated 180mm macro lens for butterflies/ dragonflies, unlike a suspected male BB Chaser that flew off, it had a light blue abdomen, but not seen that well as it was a little further away and quickly flew off on closer approach.

Orchids

On Thursday 16th May, a trip into deepest East Anglia, first I saw 3 Man Orchids and then from there I travelled to look for a lone Military Orchid which incredibly found a a new site I was able to see and admire. It's origin is highly suspicious but a wonderful plant to see nonetheless. I left the site at around 8pm. POSTSCRIPT: I was saddened but not surprised to hear this plant has disappeared, apparently "plucked from the ground" this is really sad news, from a tweet on Monday 20th May.

Minsmere double

A trip to Minsmere on Saturday 11th May revealed little & I missed all my target birds. A trip on Sunday 12 May afternoon was better, I enetered the West hide again and again no sign of the TS, there was a Ringed Plover on an island to the left plus 30 Black- tailed Godwits, 3 Bar- tailed Godwits and an an island at the back right a 1st year Little Gull was sleeping, it did wake up stretch its wings and went staright back to sleep! Someone asked about the TS & slightly afterwards, I saw a diminutive wader, a fine Temminck's Stint, mousey grey brown with straw coloured legs fly away and over to the north- east section of the East Scrape. At the Island Mere, I waited on thw walkway outside I waited for 2 and a half hours and saw 2 separate Bitterns fly in at mid distance one in good light picked up to late to photograph and the other one looking into the light, another 3 flights away from the nests. I saw a Dragonfly species perched on a reed mid-distance, too far to ID but possibly a 4 Spotted Chaser?

Carlton walk but no photos

On Wednesday 7 May, late afternoon/ early evening, a 3 mile walk around Carlton Marshes failed to reveal any Grasshopper Warblers (But I did hear one reeling), never a showy species for me. 3 Swallows over the Whitecast track and a summer plumaged Great White Egret flew west over Share Marsh, a singing male Greenfinch in a bush by the path at the start of the Share Marsh track plus several Chiff- Chaffs, a Sedge Warbler actually showing quickly disappeared when a couple walked past me singing and a Roe Deer along the back track ended a somewhat disappointing visit with no photos taken.

7 Green- wings

On Bank Holiday Monday 6 May, in the afternoon, I went to check the Green- winged Orchids at the local meadow, I counted 7 Green- winged Orchids took some pictures and clearly the MacDonalds litter from the meadow and along the roadside too. Something I was always would occur with the recent Fast food outlet scandalously built next door. A look early evening for Rob's confiding Black Red resulted at the Net posts opp the Lighthouse cafe resulted in a dip as a "gentleman" was flying a model electric Spitfire over the netposts and would have flushed most birds, as it was I was surprised it didn't crash into a hunting and hovering Kestrel nearby.

A visit to Hen reedbeds & Wangford Quarry

On Sunday 5 May, in the afternoon, I rolled into Hen reedbeds car park and could immediately hear a Nightingale singing! From the reeds I could also hear a Bittern booming too. Not knowing exactly where to go I decided to head north- wesr from the carpark where there was path beyond it and a sign saying Wangford Quarry which was all very encouraging. A long rectangular walk had me reaching the north- east end where I met a group of birders and further along another birder who had just seen it. waiting almost 2 hours no sign, but Alison and eventually Chris A joined us and Carl B too. I was thinking of leaving but thought I'd stay as Carl was here and he usually gets both the bird and the luck. No sooner said that a pair of lady walkers asked us if they could take the footpath into the quarry and round where the Hoopoe had last been seen. Good thing I stayed, because as soon as they walked down and the took the path off to the right, the fantastic Hoopoe flew up and left over the pine trees at the back. It showed a languid undulating flight, with black and white buttefly like wings on a salmon orange body. It settled the farside of the quarry around 3000 metres to the south and was seen probing a bank of short grass, but the army of twitchers storming back caused it it to fly over the bank and down and out of sight. It was not seen again that night. As I walked back to the car park I could hear the wonderful melliflous song of a Nightingale, very close eminating from the north hedge of the car park, I even saw it briefly sat there singing the brown dapped plumage and russet brown tail seen before it flitted right, further glimpses were obtained but so pleasing to see a bird I didn't see at all last year. Later it sang from the south side of the car park, as I walked to the car a wonderful really close Barn Owl flew by and towards the quarry. Meanwhile a Biuttern could be heard booming from the reedbed. As I drove out, another Nightingale was heard the other side of the road. A great end to the vday.

Poorly Narcissus fly?

On Saturday 4 May in the garden, I rescued a Narcissus Fly, a type of hover fly which looks very bee-like. It was initiallyt on the back lawn of our garden and both our Cats, Whitby & Misty were verey intersted in it! I put it on a leaf in our central flowerbed. On Sunday 5 May I found it crawling up the side of the blue bin and I carefully put onto a Hebe bush and put a little sugar mixed with water on an adjacent leaf as I thought it was desperate for sime food sustenance. It wasn't that from the photo's the wings hadn't developed obviously newly emerged from the chrysalis and it needed some sunning for the wings to sprout and develop fully. It posed beautifully for pictures after an hour and 15 minutes it flew off fully recuperated, so pleasing to see. Having looked at the pictures, this was confirmed to be the case. Also seen in the garden were 2 Holly Blues.

Spring dippers again!

A very unproductive period recenlt seeing little at Corton OSW or Gunton ORT where I missed Redstart, Willow & Garden warbler (the last 2 I didn't see or hear in Suffolk last year), plus on Saturday 4 May afternoon at Buckenham, I missed by 10 minutes the AGP thatb flew off, Goldfinch seen by the puddle when i parked at the station and a Lapwing with 3 Lapwing chicks. Over the river a fine Short- eared owl flew over the fields and walking back a Red Kite seen too.