Notes on birds/wildlife from a nature enthusiast & photographer (copyright Peter Ransome)
Saturday, 20 December 2025
Aberrant Stonechat at the Netposts
On Saturday 20th December, I finally caught up with the aberrant Stonechat at Lowestoft net posts late morning. I had missed it and the Purple Sands last weekend, but it was immediately spotted on the northern most Netposts area. Very unhelpfully, the logs piled up have a temorary fence either side which means you have to walk 50 metres north to traverse the west side path of the Netposts. The Stonechat had partially albinistic plumage around its face and was nice to see. It's forehead had 2 circular bits of white a little on the left side crown, with some white on the primaries (right side half the primaries, left side a third of the primaries) and even secondaries (a third on the right side) seen reasonably well in flight. At rest it showed white on the closed wingtips too. On the right side of its face is showed a white 'moustachial stripe'. On it's right side it had a 'white collar' encircling the face/ lower ear coverts. It wasn't particularly obliging except one time late on when I was able to clamber up the mound by the road and get a few shots reasonably close c30 metres away(these are the pics shown). Its wariness hopefully bodes well, it won't be a victim of the killer Sparrowhawk that frequents this area. A fascinating bird and so glad I could study and photograph, it finally. A Wren was seen foraging in the grass and popped up briefly albit heavily obscured by vegetation. A look on the seawall revealed 2 very brief Purple Sandpipers by the inner seaward side ledge which very difficult top observe as the seaward part of that I normally walk on, was lethal and extremely slippery, so for safety's sake, I had to lean over the temporary wooden barrier to view them. 2 Meadow Pipits on the seawall were nice but not obliging at all. Finally, I heard a Grey Wagtail calling in flight agin just west of the Netposts but I couldn't see it. Nothing at Ness Point (save an Oystercatcher on the promontary), Hamilton Dock, Wind turbine or Hamilton Road area. Update on the Cotoneater bushes in the garden, the 5 Blackbirds have almost completely stripped the berries on these bushes.
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