New Year's Day Birding

On January 1st 2022, first stop was Carlton Marshes where I saw Chris M and he asked did I know about the GND by the Wherry at OB, I hadn't checked the phone and decided to drive straight there. I parked by the side road just north of the Commodore PH and walked over to the Wherry, immediately I saw the fantastic Great Northern Diver, fairly close but back on swimming towards the pleasure cruiser, I was hopeful of some good shots! Sadly, the Diver dived and then appeared by the water close in to the Ferry edge, I couldn't move until it dived which it soon did but it now resurfaced swimming further out. At this point Chris and Alison drove up and I put them onto the bird. The bird resurfaced by the farside by the builders yard, where I managed a distant shot, but not really the one I was hoping for! The bird was then swimming further west and towards the Maltings. At this point I walked over to Mutford Lock, where a newly arrived Dick W and I saw a very close 1st winter Shag seen, but always dived before I could get my camera onto it, it swam our side of the jetty and then in the chanel really close where the boats go through. Next stop was Leathes Ham, behind the Tennis courts initially no sign of the Sibe Chiff- Chaffs, until Dick played a recording of a Tristis Chiff- Chaff and immediately first one and then the second Siberian Chiff- Chaffs appeared from the reeds over to the right, they then were seen feeding in the bushes fairly high up but were always obscured by twigs and branches but showed well through the bins. I Whats App'd the news so that Alison and Chris who were further down the track were able to get onto the birds too. Next stop I drove to Filby Broad, where an almost full car park, meant I walked down to the end to view Ormesby Little Broad, the platform was packed but I viewed a little further back along the wooden boardwalk approaching the platform and viewed the fine Red- necked Grebe, over to the extereme far left where it kept swimming in and out of the far reeds, shame I couldn't get a pic with the sheer numbers of people but I didn't fancy crowding in with everybody with the chance of catching Covid. I soon walked back and the Alders were quiet but I did see 22 Goldeneye (7 males) over at Filby broad. I drove over to Martham and from Cess road at the end, I parked up by the boatyard paying the obligatory Norfolk Toll (why do charge for parking everywhere in Norfolk, at least it was only 50p!) In the field to the west around 22 fine Curlew seen, plus a female Marsh Harrier flew over Martham broad, initially no sign of the Cattle Egrets but I bumped into Phil H who said check the field with Cattle in (obviously! Problem was I didn't know where the field was But Phil kindly showed me and we saw 4 fine Cattle Egrets, 1 perched on a grassy hump and the others walking around the area where the Cattle where feeding on invertebrates disturbed by them and as I walked back I was bitterly disappointed to here, whilst we were watching the Egrets, a fine Male Hen Harrier had flown west in the field behind us, gutting, and sad to end on a dip but overall an excellent day.

Sibe Chiff- Chaffs at Carlton Marshes

On Thursday 30th December, at Carlton Marshes barely 50 yards past the path to the Tower Hide in the Willow scrub first clearing, I saw Gavin no sign and after 20 minutes he left. I walked up to the next clearing barely 30 yards past the first and in the cut Willow pile, I saw the excellent Siberian Chiff- Chaff it was flitting around by this pile then it flew to the bush just right of that really close, I called Gavin but the bird soon disappeared. I had seen 3 Bullfinches (1 male and 2 females) 1 then 2 Siberian Chiff- Chaffs seen. They were in the first clearing and one was sitting for a while in a bush at the back. I managed to get a few pics. They then disappeared and Rob H strolled up and instantly saw a Siberian Chiff- Chaff by the cut Willow pile where it was flitting about quite low around here and I managed to get a good shot albeit in very poor light. Rob H said a Red Kite was flying over and we saw it fly over our heads and due west!

A rainy and very gloomy Christmas

It rained almost continuously over Christmas (and it is still raining as I type!) and has been completely birdless, making it the worse Christmas ever (birdwise) and it was always going to be a difficult one following the year we have just had. We, Jenny, Matthew & I finally managed to get out on Monday 27th December to see the Seals at Horsey, parking by the bend in the road by the Nelson Head, a single Grey Seal seen near the slipway to the beach, but the entire area was cordoned off both to the beach and going south. The only way was to walk north and see the Seals by the pillbox area walking north towards Horsey gap car park. On the way we saw a female Stonechat and diverted up in a roped off area (unfortunately funnelling around 200 people into a small area not ideal with Covid Omicron raging remorselessly around the country at the moment, but I imagine there are a lack of volunteers to staff a wider area) by the pillbox with loads of Grey Seals c70 on the beach with several young pups including 4 cream white newly born ones, 2 adult ones fighting by the seas edge. On Tuesday 28th December, I firstly saw a Dunnock in the bush just behind the kitchen window which was a welcome surprise, these days. another break in the rain, I drove over to Cucumber Lane area, near Beccles which was difficult to find especially with the new road layout and roundabout west of Ellough. After eventually locating it after and initial drive into Coney Hill Beccles area. A thourogh look failed to reveal any Grey Partridges, a species I have continually dipped over the past 5 years (last ones seen were in 2016 at North Cove, courtesy of Dick W) even worse were 2 Buzzards seen in a field just off Cucumber Lane, which doesn't bode well. One was perced in a field feeding (hopefully not on a Grey Partridge!)

Christmas Eve gloom

On Christmas Eve, the weather matched the lack of birds as it was decidedly gloomy, albiet from 3pm onwards. A look at 3pm after work Christmas Eve revealed very little from the Bridge over Lake Lothing save for a Kingfisher flying across Lake Lothing, a Water Rail screeching from the reeds at Leathes Ham, plus a male and female Pintail, but no sign of the Sibe Chiff- Chaffs (again), or the Guillemot, Shag or Razorbill. Merry Christmas everyone!

Winter Thrushes

On Thursday 23rd December, as I was leaving for work at 8.20am I first heard the "pssst" then the chackle of a tight flock of 2 Redwings and 12 Fieldfares flying low over the house tranversing the corner and flying south west in the direction of Parkhill hotel.

Fogbow & fog bound migrants

On Saturday 18th December, after I had bought the Suffolk Bird Report 2020 from Minsmere, I was travelling back to Lowestoft in thick foggy conditions but suddenly it cleared a little and the sun came out so I diverted to Kessingland. Walking along the seaward side of the shore pool, 2 birds flew up a calling Sky Lark and the "churr" of a Lapland Bunting. I walked along and was joined by Paul & Jane F and we saw the bird perched on a black mound, I managed to crawl behind some Marram grass and get a couple of shots. We were soon joined by Andrew E. The sun had created a wonderful Fogbow. It then flew north a little way and we saw it again with 2 Snow Buntings. It was a smart male with chestnut at the rear of the ear coverts and a lttle black on its breast, probably the second smartest Lapland I have seen (following the breeding plumage smart male one of the 5 Laplands seen in the same place the previous year). It later flew across the water and was perched on the mud before feeding with a SkyLark in some short grass. We were joined by Rob H. It was here, a Pied Wagtail walked towards us, along the edge of the shore. It then flew south westwards. We then saw 3 Snow Buntings in the dunes just landward side of the pool, before 5 were seen along the seaward side and they flew along with the Sky Lark and the "churr" of the Lapland Bunting. We then saw it feeding for sometime by some Marram grass with seakale just to the right of it. Later on fed along the beach again, with 5 Snow Buntings right along the edge of the pool we all got reasonably close and managed to get some pics here. It was nice to see Matt S. who I had not seen since the Bush Chat in North Norfolk. Walking along to a marshy pool, Jane was walking along the westward edge and a super Jack Snipe (small with shorter bill) flew and flew the other SE side of the marshy pool. Walking back, I checked the Heathlands copse and checking it, as I al,ways do, (from October onwards) for Woodcock, I finally struck it lucky, as I walking through to the middle westward edge a super Woodcock flew up from the floor and flew south- east. This rounded off a really enjoyable stop off at Kessingland.

Suffolk Bird report 2020 record 7 photos included!

Delighted to have 7 photos included in the current Suffolk Bird report with pics in order of publication in the report: of the Rustic Bunting, Male Scaup, Male Eider, Little Stint, Little Tern, 2 Shags and Shore Lark.