Red- backed Shrike still at Gunton Warren

On Monday 10th June, early morning I looked for the Shrike for 1/2 hour but failed to see it. I was delighted in the evening to see it again. With the help of the finder James W, we tracked it, the female Red- backed Shrike, down to between 2 sycamore trees and a white post by the usual thicket of scrub. It showed well from approaching from the beach side but then flew and caught an insect, a bee(?), which it prmptly devoured on a curved piece of bramble between 2 sycamore trees where it remained for a good 1/4 of an hour before catching another insect and flying down out of sight.

Shrike & Marsh Warbler

A very welcome tweet from James W had me walking along to Gunton Warren, seeing Rob Wil, James W & Josh, I walked a litle closer and following Rob's pointing, saw the excellent female Red- backed Shrike sitting on the edge of the bramble face on, after a while she hopped and turned back on, I managed a few shots and fairly close range but annoyingly was on the wrong focus setting on the camera. This was rectified seconds later but only after she had flown a few feet further back. The grey clouds were rolling in and I joined the Lowestoft Lizards and we enjoyed watching the Shrike initially she kept to near the sycamore but later on flew around 80 yards north of there before eventually returning. Then onto Southwold, parking at the harbour and walking up to the bailey bridge, met Steve & Dot who said turn right and walk 100 yards north along the old rail way line to a ditch near a load of cows and it was there. reaching a bushy area overlooking the ditch i could immediately hear the excellent singing Marsh Warbler, thanks to Richard, I saw the bird immediately as he directed me to the bird perching at the base of the bush on a thick branch extending right of the trunk. It then flew and was later seen in the reeds just in front of the bushes. Brian S arrived and he immediately located the Marsh Warbler singing from reeds at the edge of the dyke, always partially obscured I managed to get some half decent shots. As we watched the bird, a shout of "Turtle Dove!" went up and my first Suffolk bird seen since Sept 2011, flew over our heads down the path and north then west, great to see this species again. We then spent some time watching the Marsh warbler showing a yellow bill and gape, surprisingly dark for a Marsh Warbler but still sandy brown plumage and longer wings distinguished (as well as the amazingly varied song full of musical mimicry) from Redd warbler. A really enjoyable visit.

Ibiza birding

Just returned from a week's birding on the sunny Mediterranean island of Ibiza, perhaps best known for its club scene. Jenny & I avoided these and concentrated on birds, beaches and history in that order. In any wooded habitat you would expect to see Spotted Flycatcher and hear the "purring" of a Turtle Dove. La Salinas is perhaps the premier birding site on the island and the clue is in the title, which is used as a working salt works, a big browny tinged white salt mountain was stacked up over 100 feet tall to one side! Our first view of the Salinas was from the aeroplane on the flight in in and I thought I could see 8 Greater Flamingos. On visiting the Salinas on Sunday 2nd, these were confirmed as we saw 9 distant Greater Flamingoes. We viewed from the track that leads down to the restaurant at the end. In the Pine woods, I heard and saw Spotted Flycatcher and a Turtle Dove was seen and heard purring near the trunk of a Pine tree. At the end, I walked up a sloping cliff covered in bushes were I was hoping to see Balearic/ Marmora's Warbler. I was not to be disappointed as one was foraging in a bush just feet away, a small slim long- tailed slate grey warbler with red eye. It spent several minutes hopping in this bush and then flew to the one behind before flying to a larger bush at the back, where it was conspicuous for around a minutes before disappearing. A Spotted Flycatcher seen here too.On checking the same area when I walked back I saw the Warbler in the same area. An immature Blue Rock Thrush briefly flew onto the wall, before flying off. On Monday 3rd June, a stop off by a cemetary and a cafe revealed singing Firecrest (not see), a Woodchat Shrike perched on the top of a tree, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Thekla Lark. In the mountain area of Talissa, by the radar mast station. 1st one then 2 Firecrest showed really well amongst the Pine trees, several balearic Crossbills seen flying past, I picked up 1 or 2 immature Baleric Crossbills. Wandering behind the radar mast, at the back up to 9 Balearic Crossbills congregated, including a great red male on the fence then seen in the tree. On Tuesday a walk along the river at Santa Euralia revealed 3 Reed Warblers, a Cetti's Warbler and little else save for the obligatory Serins, around 5 seen. Plus by the area near the sea, a popular walkway sported 3 showy singing Serins and the then first one then 2 very showy Iberian Wall Lizards crawling out from a rock and occasionally eating ants on the path, the first Lizard had a shortened tail, whilst the second had a complete tail and looked slightly greener, both performed amazingly well for the camera's macro lens. On the Wednesday 5th June, at Cala Lunga, I photographed up to 3 Audouin's Gulls whilst a male Blue Rock Thrush flew in off the sea. On the way back from a viewpoint close to hear we saw a Woodchat on top of a telegraph post. On Thursday on the return to the Salina's, several Black- winged Stilts included one on a nest and adults with up to 3 young. The Balearic Warbler was seen and heard singing in the scrub behind the posh restaurant. A Spotted Flycatcher was seen here too. Whilst at the back up the hill, in a cultivated area, 3 Blue Rock Thrushs seen perched on the posts including 2 immatures and 1 adult male. On Thursday, at El Vedra, I didn't see any of the hoped for Rock Sparrows, but a Red- legged Partridge seen and looking back over a distant rocky crag, an excellent Egyptian Vulture seen soaring past it and to the left. Another stop by the roadside revealed 5 Iberian Wall lizards all fairly showy and another stop nearby revealed first 1 then 2 Painted Lady butterflies along the rough track. On Friday back at Cala Lungha, just back from the viewpoint area, a Peregrine Falcon flew past. walking down a track another Woodchat Shrike seen, an adult female seen.

Red Kite at Tudor recreation at Kentwell Hall!

Really impressed with the level of detail that the historical re- enactment team carry out at Kentwell hall! This afternoon, whilst watching an Elizabethen England Tudor recreation at 4.45pm a magnificent Red Kite drifted low over the walled garden and gradually drifted west (one of the secondaries on its right wing was missing) just like they would have done in Elizabethan England!

Male Red- footed Falcon at Lakenheath & other Brecks Goodies

Sunday 26th May, I picked up John H & we drove to Lakenheath arriving there a creditable hour and a half later. Sadly, on the journey there road, the roads were littered with several Fox & Muntjac Deer carcasses (4 of each) but I was fortunate to see a live Roe Deer near the first Thetford wood. The car park at Lakenheath was absolutely bursting and we just managed to squeeze in and ambled down the track joining the crowds overlooking New Fen, where incredibly the male Red- footed Falcon was hawking for insects right over out heads! A really smart bird with a dark smokey- grey plumage with the vent and legs coverts a wonderful russet- brown. It was flying low over the patch of reeds bordering the path. It was flying up and down and flying up in the air, obviously catching insects and was later was joined by up to 3 Hobbies flying over the Mere. A calling Cuckoo revealed one flying left. A male Marsh Harrier also quartered the reeds. walking back another Cuckoo flew left. At Weeting Heath from the west hide 2 Stone Curlew seen both were initially standing with the closer bird moving and then settling down. Whilst just outside first one Spotted Flycatcher seen by the trunk of ivy clad tree close to the path, it flew in whilst further away another bird flew high up into the trees. These are my first sightings of this species for this year, yet another species which has declined rapidly in recent years. A walk at the reserve over the road revealed several calling Willow Warblers one calling from the top of a bush just by the path and then on the edge of a wood, we heard a delightful Tree Pipit singing, we then saw it it perched high in a deduduous not Pine tree and then another 2 Tree Pipits seen and heard later on. At East Wretham Heath, walking to a wood by a clearing just past a hide and looking across at a dead tree stump we heard the male Redstart singing and John picked it out perched near the top of a large bush (just left of the stump) before flew over to the tree stump, a resplendent male bird. It was seen a couple of times after this also. No luck at Beighton and we failed to see or hear any purring Turtle Doves, sadly.

Green- wings up, Early Purples down

On Sunday 19th May, a look at Pleasurewood Hills at 4pm revealed just 12 very late flowering Early Purple Orchids (flowering around a month late due to the wintry conditions) and maybe 20 in all with more non- flowering plants seen too. I am concerned about how dry this bank is getting and especially the incursion of bramble especially along the northern end. However, at another local meadow, (managed by the local wildlife trust) the difference was striking with a well managed site, I counted a personal record 43 Green- winged Orchids also coming into flower with one pale one seen (almost as pale as the Mediterranean sub- species) and one very deep purple one, too. Typically very stunted looking plants but when they are flowering they are absolute crackers well worth seeing!

Woodchat & Red- backed Shrike duo on North Denes at Lowestoft

On Sunday 19th May I was walking down onto the North Denes at 7pm hoping to see the RBShrike from saturday, having missed it returning from Margate. As I walked down the steps, I had a tweet from Rene , saying it was still in the isolated bramble. Looking at the bramble just north of the Oval, there was no sign but looking east I saw Rene scoping something in an isolated bramble bush on the Denes. Joining him, initially the bird couldn't be seen and it flew to the first wing break of trees bushes north of the Oval, it was a superb male Red- backed Shrike in full summer plumage with black mask, reddish & chestnut brown back with a pink flush on the chest. It perched on the eastern edge of the wind break before flying back to the bushes at the base of the cliff. It was seen here well, especially as we approached carefully and managed to get a few pics from 24 feet away. Meanwhile by the bramble by the Oval, a male Whitethroat was seen and 2 Long- tailed Tits. Rob Wil, then both Nevilles and Chris M, said he'd been briefly watching a Shrike by the wall on the eastern section of the Oval. Well it certainly wasn't our bird so we went in search of what we thought was another RB Shrike. How wrong we were! I elected to look in on the Oval (wrong decision) but Rene struck gold when he saw it and yelled out "Woodchat Shrike!" Well done to Chris & Rene on their excellent find. Looking over by a large bush by the entrance to the Oval, we could scoped and see a distant adult female Woodchat Shrike perched on the very top on its eastern end. She had a velvety looking chestnut crown with thick black face mask and noticeable amount of white on the lores indicating the bird was a female. She had a black back with greyer area approaching the whitish rump. There was a thick white patch on the upper wing and a much smaller white patch near the edge indicating this bird was of eastern European origin rather than being that of a Balearic race. She had whitish underparts with the flanks showing a pale rusty hue. She was eventually pushed by a dog walker closer as it flew and perched on the eastern oval wall directly in front of a pine tree trunk, it then flew closer on hedges peaks protruding over the height of the wall. A dog walker coming from the north, it flew south and into the Oval. Peering over the wall, we saw it perched on the Tennis court fence before flying down to the small manicured bushes by the start of pitch and putt, OFB went inside the Oval to photograph it when the keeper arrived, the bird was then flushed and flew south west within the oval. Inexplicably at this time everyone went off. I then seized the opportunity to walk around the path bordering the wall and as I reached the south- west section i noticed perched in a bush bordering the green, the head of the Woodchat, crouching down I was barely 20 feet away from the Shrike. She sometime stretched her head before flying to the bushes along the western edge catching beetles and promptly devouring it. She appeared to cough several times, obviously hoping to produce a pellet. I was really enjoying having the Shrike to myself but seeing Ricky walking out of the Oval, I tweeted out and within minutes was joined by half a dozen people. the bird performed well occasionally flying down to the ground and catching insects. Eventually leaving her, I walked back saw the male Red- backed Shrike again perched in the bramble just north of the Oval. A visit to Breydon water failed to reveal the Monty's, Sedge Warbler heard by the dyke and a male Whitethroat seen singing the only birds seen on what was a disappointing visit.