All Quiet on the Eastern Front

Friday 20th September nothing seen at Ness Point, this afternoon save for 2 Turnstones on the wreck of the old sea wall. 2 Chiff- Chaff were also heard along the North Denes slope. 2 Common Tern seen flying south along the sea plus an adult Mediterranean Gull in winter plumage and letter seen on the beach. After a chap said he'd seen a rare gull on the beach with orange bill black band on the lower bill and orange legs wih rings on both legs, did I know what it was? I said "Mediterranean Gull" and sure enough it was the adult winter Mediterranean Gull a ringed bird this bird had a white ring with black lettering "E861" on its right leg and a smaller silver ring on its left leg. It spent most of its time running along the shore line before it flew north into the over the sea and onto the next bit of beach.

Lesser Grey Shrike at Aldringham Walks AND Wilson's Phalarope at Cley

Having TOIL from work during the morning of Wednesday 18th September, I was to try the Herculean feat of going for both the LGS near Sizewell and the Wilson's P at Cley during the morning off from work I had today. So just after first light (it started to get light at 6.30am but by around 7.30am the sun was staring to shine and found myself driving along the Sizewell road looking for the Halfway cottages thanks to the obligatory OS map I found them easily and managed to find a parking space (only 2 available but preferable to the very long walk required if you parked at Leiston as advised) on the opposite side of the road just 50 yards before. I walked across found the bridleway snaking back in a south- east direction behind the cottages and a reassuringly located horse box. I could see the power lines from the road and looking east from the path could see what must have been the horse paddocks (but no horses in them, probably still in their stables?) directly underneath power lines. I met 2 birders, one just grunted at me neanderthal style when asked if they'd seen the bird, the other helpfully told me to look underneath the power lines along the fence posts. I duly followed the advice and quickly located the excellent Lesser Grey Shrike perched on a back fence post. A super bird, basically a mixture of grey black and white, slightly bigger than RBS the grey colouring being; grey crown, fore crown running into a grey neck and mantle. The black colouring being; on large rounded head a thick black stripe running back from the lores past the eye and running to the back of the ear coverts. With black wings and tail. The white on the throat and underparts with square white patch at the base of the primaries when the wings were closed forming a distinct patch, there were white edgings to the median coverts and tail sides. The bird would frequently fly off the fence posts hunting for food before being relocated often on a different fence post on the other side of the paddocks. At 8.30am, I left for Cley taking the Beccles, then Norwich (held up by a lorry travelling 40 mph the entire length of Beccles to Norwich outer ring road), Norwich outer ring road and Holt road and finally at 10.45am, I was walking down to Bishops Hide (this is located on the right hand side of the road walking 300 yards right of the Visitors centre. I was fortunate in the crowded hide to quickly get a seat and the superb Wilson's Phalarope was immediately on view briefly walking around on the extreme right hand edge of an island that was helpfully right in front of the hide around 40 feet away. The Phalarope was constantly feeding with its head and pencil thin bill pecking the earth for food as it made its way around the ducks and Teal sitting on the extreme right of the island. The bird appeared slightly larger than other Phalaropes with long neck and long needle thin bill giving it a very delicate appearance. It had a striking pale appearance with light grey crown, top of neck and upper parts with just a hint of immaturity browner on just a small amount of flight feathers. It had striking yellow legs and was constantly walking about feeding often with its head just above the surface of the ground/ water. It appeared to be more dry ground dwelling than other Phalaropes but it didn't stop it from occasional but rare sorties into the water. Typically it would give a brief walk around before disappearing out of sight at the back of the island for a while. However this excellent bird didn't keep you waiting for long and during the hour and 10 minute period of observation (I had acute time pressures as I was due back at work at 1pm) it reappeared at least six times. The last time was the best when it walked to the front edge of the island and then giving superlative views as it walked left feeding out in the open. Other birds out there were many 200 Black- tailed Godwits a family of 5 Ruff (2 adults and 3 immatures) plus another adult elsewhere and finally The heralds of winter, a quartet of Pink- footed Geese that flew around and settled amongst all the Greylag Geese. It was good to hear the dulcet tones of Ali R, who like me, had only seen one previously, the fondly remembered Benacre Broad bird way back in mid September 1991. The Wilson's Phalarope was one bird I particularly wanted to see again. It was now 11.50 am and time to go, as I drove past Walsey Hills, I could see a group of birders probably looking at the RBS, a great shame I couldn't join them for a view but work beckoned.

Juvenile Rose- coloured Starling at Caister

Arriving at the Beach road, Caister today, I saw Peter C & Diane and a big flock of 200 Starlings flew over us and amongst them was we spotted the excellent very pale sandy coloured Rose- coloured Starling flying around. It then flew over to the buildings just east of the Beach road car park along Beach Road & Old Mill road and it was seen perched and scoped from the car park on the roof and chimney pots with Ricky F and John H briefly joining us joining us before it flew again. Walking along back along Beach rd, I saw the bird perched first on the roof then amongst the chimney pots and then it flew to a more distant roof where good scope views were obtained. It flew again. Seeing the Dereham lads, as sharp as ever they had picked it up near a roof top with solar panels in Clay Road (first left west of car park) and we had good views of it here where it rested for some 10 minutes along with around 20 or so other Starlings above the panels. A very sandy looking bird as is always the case with immatures with yellow base to the bill and very clean fresh dark black or brown flight feather with white/ cream edgings giving it a very clean smart looking appearance. It then flew again and was seen at the back of a chimney pot, down a side a passage of the Street, where I managed a few shots before it and the Starling flew onto a green area. They fed here for a while before they flew again. Reassembling back at the car park, I amazed Paul W by picking up the bird in flight, which was easy to do with the Zeiss bins I now have, obviously it was very pale but appeared slightly bigger than the other Starlings with slightly blunter edged wing tips maybe with broader bases making it reasonably distinctive n flight if you were warranted a good view. Also good to see around 30 House Sparrows around the green area and a further 10 House Sparrows opposite the Library too. Late on today 4pm, news came out of a LGS at Aldringham walks but where on earth was that? After 30 minutes pouring over maps of Suffolk, I finally located was near Sizewell, but I had run out of time as I calculated it would take 2 hours to get it; 1 hour's drive and another hour's 2 mile walk and in the driving rain to boot! Should have gone as I would have seen it very late on at 6.35pm, when it was still showing. Lets hope it stays to next weekend as there will not be enough time either before or after work (start work at 8am finish at 5pm).

North Denes late on

On Saturday 14th September following the rain I went out onto the north denes and saw several Lounge Lizards plus 3 Whinchats perched at top of 5 foot high vegetation and I wheatear seen on the sea wall and 1 Arctic Skua flew reasonably close in flying south. I searched the Oval, netposts and north beach and a Sandwich Tern and 2 immature Common Terns seen on the groynes.

Large White caterpillars

Over the last 3 week during the recent hot weather I have been counting regular numbers of Large White caterpillars or larvae on the Burrage centre car park at work at the Hospital, normally the counts have been in high single figures but reached a record of 26 one day over a week ago and 5 were still crawling along on Friday the 13th. Also today, Saturday the 14th around 20 Jackdaws flew over chasing a Rook flying overhead and north over the garden.

A few migrants on the Denes

Today, early morning on Sunday 8th September, I saw nothing at the net posts and following a tweet from Rene, I made the very short journey over to the Oval. I initially saw 2 Yellow Wagtails, but the groundsman walking out flushed all the Wagtails onto the north side of the Oval. I met Chris M and we walked over to the North Denes slope together and the excellent juvenile Cuckoo flew low falcon- like along the North Denes slope settling into a sycamore near the top of the slope it flew again briefly, sporting a pale belly with browner breast, and was then seen flying back into a bush. We saw a Chiff- Chaff in the sycamores and making our way back at the Oval, up to 4 Yellow Wagtails were seen on the Oval near the green wicket, one was reasonably close and I managed to obtain a few shots of it.

Osprey on the Blyth estuary

On Saturday 7th September I popped out mid afternoon and by 3.30pm I was walking across from the layby the Blyth estuary along the busy A12 and crossed the busy road and immediately saw the excellent Osprey hovering over the far corner south- west of the estuary, distant but reasonable views through the bins and it flew down into the water and then flew right fairly quickly sadly that's all I saw of it as it soon disappeared from sight. walking down I met Rene and co and Malcolm F and pointed out the larvae of a Glow Worm crawling across the path and we saw around 8 Curlew fly out at regular intervals from the creek plus a Black- tailed Godwit amongst all the c60 Redshank. I wanted to try for the Osprey again but was really unsure where to view. I walked back to the car and in the hedge just before it I saw a white and brown moth with a little yellow at the top which I think is a Jersey Moth, sadly no macro lens available so no pictorial evidence to show you. Going to the Tinkers Marsh reserve, I parked at the car park and under one of the corrugated iron sheets, I saw an excellent Grass Snake curled up, I then followed the path down to the road and didn't know where to go next and couldn't find the Bungalow either that I was advised to find, if I was to view the Osprey on a post so gave up and went home!