Glaucous saves the day

A look around Oulton Broad on Saturday 22nd January, looking over Lake Lothing from the railway bridge, Mutford Lock basin and Oulton Marshes failed to reveal the hoped for Shag, Common Sand &/or Goosanders. Nil return until I was at the furthest point at Fisher Row, Rob Will kindly rang to inform me Andrew had found a Glaucous at OB (I'd just been there! It wasn't there then). It took around 30 minutes to drive back to OB and Join Ali, Maurice, Rob Will and James B, watching the excellent biscuit coloured, bi- coloured pink and black bill , first winter Glaucous Gull on the ice. It was there 20 minutes before it flew away on languid flight getting ever higher and circling.

Frozen Oulton Broad

On Friday 20th January, a totally frozen Oulton Broad revealed no Goosanders on a quick look before work this morning, dipped for the second time as I had originally tried for these at Minsmere. I looked at Haddiscoe Church after work this afternoon but no sign of any Gulls.

Pair of Bullfinches

A pair of fine calling Bullfinches were heard at 11.30am and on looking out, I saw a male perched in the tree, just beyond the garden with the female perched just right of him, on Fallowfields. They were there for a couple of minutes before flying right.

Beccles Waxwings & Corton Woods Nuthatch at last!

On Saturday 14th I had limited time to go birding as I had an important trip to see relatives in the afternoon. As I arrived at Beccles along Ellough road and by the junction of Coney Hill, the usual favoured spot with a berry bush on the corner. I noticed one photographer with a 300mm lens stalking really close to the bush and the feeding Waxwing was flushed and flew up to the trees opposite where I parked the car along an adjacent side road. I spied 2 Waxwings perched at the top of the tree. They soon flew back to the bush and I got set up, it started raining and this quickly turned to snow, as I was walking across the birds flew back into the trees and were joined by 2 further Waxwings, that flew in from the south-west. All four birds then occasionally flew down to the bush, fed for a few minutes on the berries before flying back. A shaft of sunlight finally gave a brief window of excellent light to obtain some distant pictures. 4 Fieldfare flew over and perched in the back garden tree of a house over the road and then first one Mistle Thrush then another rattling Mistle Thrush flew overhead and perched in trees lining the other side of the road. Then a male and female Blackbird perched on the berry bush to consume some berries. @ waxwings then flew off and the original 2 Waxwings came down on several occasions. A look at Lake Lothing failed to reveal anything save a lone Redshank. As I entered the north section of Corton woods, several Goldcrests were heard calling, more significantly deeper into the wood, I could finally hear the countering of a Nuthatch, and by the bendy path, by the lone Pine tree, I spotted, at last, the excellent Nuthatch on a vertical branch overhead, it ran along here before flying off after 2 minutes. A Redwing was also heard.

Woe at Minsmere, joy at Dunwich

On Sunday 8th January, a look at Minsmere Island Mere this revealed little. The Goosanders had gone, Bearded Tits were heard and 2 calling Siskins flying over the Rhododendron tunnel. At Dunwich I saw Matthew D who had just seen a flock of 8 Scaup sadly a joy rider on a power boat had scared them right off. However, Matthew had mentioned he'd seen a tight knit group of LT Ducks to the north, I looked and picked out initially several 4 lone Common Scoters and a flock of 18 Shovelor on the sea. It was also apparent there were over 100 Great- crested Grebes on the sea, a quite remarkable gathering. But I also spotted the fine quartet of Long- tailed Ducks on the sea, always lovely to see and only around half way out, they were directly in front of a boat on the horizon and just right of a long line of Gulls stretched out on the sea. On the walk down, no Twite seen. I did however see a Great White Egret feeding on the coastal marsh but wary as ever, as I later walked back one was seen more in land close to the Dunwich end, making 2 Great White Egrets in all. My walk down failed to reveal any Twite or Snow B, but as I walked back, I noted an area of swampy salt marsh, where 2 birders were peering intently. Just in fromt of them, as I suspected was the excellent flock of 30 Twite most hidden from view but occasional glimpses were obtained when they hopped in to view or jumped briefly up into view. sadly, a Sky lark took fright and flushed them and all 30 Twite flew around in a large circle around 4 times before heading north.

Third attempt

On Sun 8th January, an exhaustive third attempt to see both extremely elusive the Nuthatches and Firecrests were doomed to failure despite the early start due to constant chainsaw noise emanating from a garden adjacent to the north- west corner of the woods. Only birds seen were around the road, Wood Pigeons, Jay and a vocal Goldcrest and I heard Redwing too.

Second attempt

No sign of either Firecrest or Nuthatch in Corton woods sat 7th Jan.