Another Redwing

A Redwing was seen perched high in the tree at the back of the garden this morning at 8am before flying north over the garden. 

Waxwing still there

An early morning trip to the Ashburnham Way Waxwing before work, hoping to improve on the photos I already have of the bird, failed despite the bird showing well in the same bush. Sadly, the poor light was again at fault and this only started to improve as I was driving to work. The Waxwing again feasted on the berries in a back garden and then flew to a distant tree. I must have just missed the Waxwings at Kensington Gardens as there was no sign at 8am, but I later heard they were there at 8.15am. 

Lone Waxwing

The Ashburnham Way male Waxwing at Carlton Colville was absent from it's usual bush as I was passing on the way back from collecting my car. But a walk into Rozlyne Close nearby revealed the bird preening high up in an alder tree, it soon flew over to its favoured bush gulping down the berries with relish, at 10.15am albeit in a steady downpour of rain making photography nigh on impossible despite the Waxwing posing incredibly well. I enjoyed the bird for 5 minutes before it flew right and it was my cue to go back to work.

A Parakeet in hand

A text message I received at 11.19am, from the Suffolk BINS bird information service stating that Ring -necked Parakeet was "in hand @ Carlton Res Centre now, being processed 2 b released at 11.45am", meant action stations as we had to get down their quickly!

Jenny drove me to the Reserve centre with 5 minutes to spare, and I saw Steve P handling this bird, a female Ring- necked Parakeet. The female's plumage doesn't sport the rose- coloured ring around her neck, unlike the male's "bling-ier" plumage.

The Ring- necked Parakeet is an introduced bird to the UK, being originally a native of SE Asia & Central Africa. The bird had escaped from County estate landowners collections of exotic birds and have found the UK very much to their liking and big flocks of them can be seen in parts of London and the South- east. 

In East Anglia they are still a scarcely seen bird, although several have been seen in recent years including one viewed from our present garden!

The bird was bloodied, not from her capture or subsequent ringing, but from her attacks on Steve's hand and Mr P had to don gardening gloves for better protection! She had a powerful bill that she was prepared to use! Consequently her vent and undertail coverts were stained with Steve's blood.

This Parakeet had been caught in Steve's garden in Bungay and we had very little time to take pictures as guidelines state that caught birds need to be released within an hour of capture.

But I was grateful for this all to rare opportunity to get close pics of this exotic visitor.

Steve brought the bird outside to be ringed and we (Andrew E, Robert W, Roy H, James B & Derek B- our esteemed Chairman) were able to get a few pics in the 2 minutes that we were allowed, before her subsequent release.

A look in the field west of Burnt Hill Lane revealed 14 Egyptian Geese but the Pink- foot appears to have gone. Next stop was Ashburnham way in Carlton Colville by the bus stop,which was already full of birders (including Roger C, Richard W & later Chris M) where we saw an adult male Waxwing feeding voraciously off a particularly berry laden bush in a lady's back garden. The bird was reasonably confiding but seen in poor light, until one of our number ventured to close and the Waxwing flew back into a dense scrub.

The bird returned as we saw the Waxwing again on the bush at 4.10pm on our return from Southwold. A Fieldfare was also seen later in a berry tree by the junction of Hollow Lane and Beccles road.

At Southwold, I eventually saw the Pink- footed Geese on the Town Marshes, initially seen in flight from the Harbour/ Golf course road, I initially counted 9, when we drove round to view 500 yards west of the harbour I counted 10 feeding by the grassy edge of a pool on the extreme northern end of the marsh.

In Southwold Churchyard, a Fieldfare fed in another berry laden tree.

Garden Delights

A prolific number of birds were either seen in or from the garden during a 2 hour vigil this afternoon. At 2pm I glanced out of the window and could see a pair of magnificent Bullfinch perched in the flowering Cherry, again after the buds. I raced upstairs, retrieving my camera in the process and was just getting set up when a Magpie and A Jackdaw flew in causing the Bullfinches to fly right. I decided to wait and didn't have to wait long before the female Bullfinch came back and start feeding on the Cherry buds, I was able to obtain a few pictures in slightly better light than their previous visit.

She visited again at 3pm and 3.15pm for a few minutes each time and feeding right at the very front of the tree on the last occasion.  Both birds flew in at 3.50pm for their final visit of the day. It was especially pleasing to see these scarce birds as they are difficult to see and even harder to photograph. I'll post the pictures later on in the weekend.

It was pleasing to note that up to 6 House Sparrow (3 males and 3 females) were feeding from the fatballs put out. A bird that was formerly a great scarcity seems to have been lured in with the cold weather in December and they've remained ever since. A Hedge Sparrow was also present and a pair of Robins were also seen.Up to 3 Chaffinches (2 males & 1 Female seen also). A male Greenfinch came briefly to feed from the sunflower feeders. The Tit family were represented by up to 4 Great Tit, 2 Blue Tit & a visiting party of 5 Long- tailed Tits, preceded by a singleton. 

Early on during the watch I heard the "chuckling" of an overflying Fieldfare flying east. Later on a Redwing perched up in the middle tree at the back of the garden when a dog walker walked past. a Single Song Thrush was perched in the large bush beyond the garden. Up to 4 Blackbirds seen in the garden today. 2 Wood Pigeons were seen on the garden and a fine Stock Dove was walking around on the Fallowfields ground before flying off to Parkhill Hotel grounds.

A Green Woodpecker flew from Fallowfields over to Parkhill Hotel ground and I witnessed this bird repeat this feat 30 minutes later. later on I saw an overflying great Spotted woodpecker flying north. 2 rabbits were seen on Fallowfields including a male Pheasant too.

More Redwing

15 Redwing were seen in a berry laden tree at the side of the A12 road just by the James Paget District Hospital at Gorleston yesterday morning (8.10am, Thursday 11th February).

1 was also seen calling as it flew over to and settled in the berry tree in front of Morrisons supermarket at lunchtime 12.30pm again Thursday 11th February.

Fieldfare Sighting & Sea Eagle vote

With the return of a cm of snow/ ice/ hale, it was fitting a winter thrush, a fine Fieldfare was seen perched up in a tree in the back of the garden at 8am this morning. It was perched facing the house, the brown streaked breast sides were seen very well on this bird,  but it turned round facing left and flew off just as I was getting my camera out of the bag (in the house, typical!)

If you want to vote on whether you wish to see White- tailed Sea Eagles re-introduced into coastal Suffolk, or if you are vehemently opposed to it log onto

www.dannysdigiscoping.com

and vote in his poll.

This is an excellent website by a local birder who used a camera and telescope combination to take pictures of birds with fine results. Check out his excellent pictures of Black- necked Grebe, Bittern and Peregrine