Ortolan Photoshoot!

Visiting Corton Old Sewage works track (early morning before work it wasn't initially on show, 20 House Martins flew south though) after work, I couldn't see the bird along the track, a pleasant diversion was a Grey wagtail calling and flying over in a westerly direction and I walked round to the south- east corner where I saw another birder. Apparently the Bunting had been sitting in the bush mid afternoon, but it hadn't been seen for several hours. Walking back along the path, another birder accidently flushed a bird which flew to the Sewage works fence, it was the Ortolan. It perched on the fence for 10 minutes before eventually flying down to the track 100 yards east of the old sewage bed and it fed intently from the side of the path. I and another birder slowly using our well honed fieldcraft techniques; we crouched and crawled like Army Commandos (!) and got within 12 feet of the bird via a roundabout route from the field to the North side. The Ortolan Bunting was very confiding and perfectly intent to carry on feeding and I fired shot after shot after shot (a perfect distance but a slight pity the bird was in the shade though) until I slowly crawled back. The bird still contently feeding and I was even able to show a newly arrived Dave W (who'd driven all the way up from Ipswich) exactly where it was. I'm very glad that I did so because literally a minute later (so Dave W recounted when he kindly phoned later to thank me), an inconsiderate car driver (not a birder or well known bird photographer!!) drove down the track and flushed the bird into the field.

Ortolan (Wheatear & Firecrest!)

Bright and early at 7.10am this morning, I was looking along the track 50 yards past Corton Old Sewage works, when I saw the excellent Ortolan Bunting along the path it flew to the field to the left then in the company of Meadow Pipits it flew again onto the path. As it flew it called a soft distinctive "quip" call. early morning about 60 Swallows flew North over the old Sewage plant. A Wheatear also hopped down the path, totally oblivious to me as it passed within 10 feet of me!

I then stalked the Ortolan very carefully down to about 18 feet and watched it as it fed by the side of the track on the edge of the field hopping in and out of the weedy edge of the field. I was then joined later by Clive N who managed to get a few shots of this lovely bird. After the bird hadn't been seen for a while we walked back but sadly the bird had been on the track all along and it flew calling once as it perched on the bushes behind the old sewage works.

I then walked down the Corton Old Rail Track and by the trees of the central track I heard the distinctive "wheezing" call of a Firecrest, I then very briefly saw it in the bushes to the right of the track before it quickly flitted out of view.