Rosy Pasteur again

On Sunday 29th June, the adult Rose- coloured Starling was again seen along Pinewood Avenue, Lowestoft perched on the bushes in the garden along the alley. It was seen here at 4.35pm perched in the bushes it eventually flew down to the garden but then flew back, had a snooze before perching at the top of the bush before flying south- west with a group of around 30 Starlings. I then went to Wrentham and again failed to see the really elusive (for me) escaped Black Kite, this is a really big bogey bird for me in Suffolk (along with Scarlet Rosefinch), having started my Black Kite dips way back in 1979, I have tried to twitch 10 birds over the years, culminating with missing one seen from Carlton Marshes when I was there this year!

Another missed Black Kite

On Friday 27th June, Frog seen in the middle flower bed of the back garden. On Saturday 29th June, I just missed the escaped Black Kite around the Benacre estate having been seen in flight at 8.50am in a field by the Benacre estate, 2 Hobbies were seen here distantly and then one flew past too. I looked from 9 to 1.40pm and there was no sign of it, but watched Swifts flying into nest under the eaves of a building off Mill Lane and opposite the Bowling Green & Tennis courts. A Spitfire flew round also.

A few Swallowtails around the Broads

Travelling north along the A12 just after the turn off to Lound a male Marsh Harrier flew west over the A2 and flew across the field. A look at Strumpshaw fen today, I walked down toward Prof George's House and in a clearing a few birders were gathered and a rested Norfolk Hawker showed very well here and posed well for the cameras as did a less photographed Ringlet. At the garden, cloudy weather revealed little and walking on the fen, I photographed a showy Viparous Lizard which was seen on the left side of the boardwalk then scuttled across and away. Returning from the loop, it again scuttled back across the boarded path. Walking further along I saw and heard a Cuckoo calling from a bush in the reeds near the middle and photo'd a male Black- tailed Skimmer on a reed stem. Walking back just before the boardwalk I saw a couple lingering and they said they had 2 Swallowtails here, sure enough 1 Swallowtail flew out past us and across the fen. At Catfield Fen, reached by turning off at Cat field and heading for the large church taking the narrow single track road just before it signed Fenside and taking it right down to an area of deep water and a sign. Parking here I walked past the house on the right and walking through the wood turned left at the end and took the first part of the square walk. Just before the end of the first straight track, I looked over flowering brambles and saw a Swallowtail feeding around the bramble flowers. Walking along the next side of the walk, by a cut pool area 2 immature Lapwings and 1 adult Lapwing seen. Past the disused mill, I saw a Swallowtail fly down a dyke. Along the third side of the path turning right, I saw another feeding Swallowtail albeit with a large chunk taken out of its left wing. Despite walking further I saw little and returning an immature and adult Sedge Warblers seen. Plus a female Marsh Harrier quartering the reeds. During he walk 2 Grey Herons flew past separately. Back to the area where I saw the first Swallowtail it was still there feeding on the flowering brambles and once it even flew right over and directly past me before flying back. Despite showing well it wasn't close enough to photograph.

Short-toed Eagle at Ashdown Forest & Lesser Emperor at Filby

The crack Scottish team was re-assembled for a twitch down to Ashdown Forest for the ST eagle, John H, Tim H, Tony S & myself. I reached John's at midnight and we drove through the night to Gill's Lap car park at Ashdown Forest in west Sussex. An absolutely stunning place we stopped near hear in the dark and I heard churring Nightjar. At Gill's lap car park there was the spectacular vista of looking over the valley. During our watch from first light, we also heard churring Nightjar here plus we heard purring Turtle Dove and they were eventually seen, 2 Turtle Dove perched in a distant dead tree. Bullfinches were heard too. Just after 8am, a young lady birder said there's a raptor coming in from the right and sure enough a pale Eagle sized bird soared in low and perched in the top of spine tree, it was the magnificent 2nd summer Short- toed Eagle. It showed mouse- brown upper parts and very pale whitish below with brown streaks around the upper breast and the a few on the outer edge of the wing coverts. It sat in this distant tree just down from the ridge. It then flew down to another pine tree in the valley, we walked down to get a closer view. It sat here for a while before flying around, sometimes soaring around, hovering briefly and also using its tail as a rudder kite- like as it flew. It flew up to a pine on the ridge and then flew right someway, again seeing its tail used a rudder, another brief hover before it perched on top of another Pine. It spent some 20 minutes sat here until a Carrion Crow and 2 Magpie mobbed it and it flew further away and out of sight. We then drove down the road a mile and parked at Old Lodge car park, walking down we saw a close young Wood Lark in the long grass, although no time to photograph it as we were on a strict time limit. By some Pines to the right a fine male Redstart was seen feeding a juvenile Redstart. walking around the path we checked the pools and then went down a steep hill to an area where they were too interconnected pools with a wooden foot bridge in between. Almost immediately I was aware of 2 flying Odonata, a Four- spotted Chaser and another mysterious one. Whilst by the footbridge, a superb male Beautiful Demoiselle was seen. I then got my bins onto the other Odonata, it was an Emerald and looking at it my first impression was of dazzling Christmas light it was that dazzling, surely a Brilliant Emerald. It spent all its time in flight switching between the pools and often flying around the more shaded area. It then settled briefly in grass the other side where 3 birders sat carefully. By looking at the featured photographed them we were able to eliminate Downy E. I was never able to see it completely at rest as it often flew after a short rest. Walking back we saw by a pool first a Keeled Skimmer that showed well and a Small Red- eyed Damselfly although I didn't look at it for too long because of the heat. In the afternoon after we got back I drove straight to Filby Broad, looking along the boardwalk, 2 Fisherboys were constantly casting every 5 seconds far from ideal to see the intended target, but at 4.10am, after sighting 1 or 2 unidentified Hawkers and both Norfolk & Brown Hawker, another Hawker was seen circling around the NE tip of the Broad the water directly in front of the far eastern end of the Boardwalk it flew my way and looking down on it, I could clearly see the blue saddle at the base of the abdomen, a fine male Lesser Emperor, but as it flew past the boys, their tiresome casting almost hit and it swerved out of the way, it appeared to want to fly around the western end of the boardwalk but the casting forced it to fly strongly west. In the evening I went down to Hamilton road and saw the colourful escaped Red-rumped Parakeet calling a strange high pitched call from the roof of Pryce's building. The bird has been around this area and Battery Green for a week or so, an escaped bird but I was still keen to see it.A load of Starling flew by the hangar and the fine Rose- coloured Starling was seen amongst them, it flew to railings and then remained faithful to one Starling as they both flew to a light by the wind turbine. They spent around 20 minutes here before finally flying past us, the RC Starling had a more fluttery flight, and then dropped down by the Helicopter hangar area in the harbour.

Elusive RC Starling

I had an hour to look for the RC Starling from 1.40 to 2.40pm, apparently it hadn't been seen for 3 hours, at 2.20pm in cloudy weather the Rosy Pasteur was seen perched high up in a Leylandii way back 2 gardens back from its usual garden. I had too leave at 2.40pm and it started to show apparently after I left.

Hummer again in garden

At 6.03pm on Tuesday June 17th, a Hummingbird Hawk Moth was again seen very briefly for all of 10 seconds as it hovered around the eastern end of the Red Valerian plants before it flew off and disappeared.

Rosy Pasteur at Lowestoft

On Tuesday 17th June, early morning 7am to 7.50am the bird spent much of its time in Clive's back garden I saw it only twice once when it pecked briefly in the large bush and a second time when it perched on an arterial just north of Clive's house. Following a long lunch break from 1.50 to 3.50pm I drove straight to Pinewood Avenue. By the junction of Pinewood Avenue and Breydon way, the bird couldn't be seen. However walking across and taking the same passageway as the previous night, I saw Rob Wils, the Norfolk bird photographer and he said he had the bird perching right out in the open in the second bush. Walking carefully around, the fine adult Rose coloured Starling, the Rosy Pasteur as it is colloquially called, was still there albeit partially obscured. With last night's experience in mind, I tracked back to the alleyway over looking the garden and saw the bird in a better position albeit the lower body was obscured. A really smart bird with jet black head and upper breast with pink bill (with black at the base) Pink mantle and scapulars, the upper scapulars showed a dark brown band extending back, with black wings and pink rump black tail and pink underparts and black scalloped under tail coverts with pink legs. The pink belly had a few fine streaks of brown too. The Rose- coloured Starling perched up in the bush looking around facing first right then left before they all flew. It was next seen back in Clive's garden. Seen perched up in the far back east bushes before it flew across the garden towards us and we then saw it perched up showing well in the large bush in the middle of Clive's garden where I was able to get some great shots through the hedge. It flexed its head showing its pinky head crest and was seen well here before it flew down and I had to reluctantly leave to go back to work.