Ness Point Pallid Swift, a first for Lowestoft!

At teatime, a tweet from Rob Wil stating Julie had found a probable Pallid Swift had me leaping in the car at just after 5pm and within 10 minutes I was pulling into the northern end of Birds Eye car park. I saw Julie walking along the seawall and she said she had just lost it flying south just over the Bird's Eye factory. James W turned up on his bike and after 15 minutes at around 5.27pm as I was driving away, I saw Julie raise her glasses and looking over IO could see the excellent Swift flying just over Bird's Eye. Stopping the car I leapt out and we saw the bird if flew first left and then right over Bird's Eye showing a noticably small fluttering almost bat like flight, it showed more blunt tipped wings and appeared smaller than Common Swift and less scyth like wings. People started arriving Rob Wil, Andrew E, James B, Rob H, Richard S, Chris & Alison A etc. The bird then flew towards the wind turbine and then it flew towards us and directly over our heads, at one point I noticed the paler browner plumage, whitish throat area and darker 'black eye surround' it had a widish rump leading to narrow slightly notched tail, indicating to me that this was clearly a Pallid Swift and a first for Lowestoft for me. Andrew E and Rob H's photos confirmed this. Very well done to Julie, who had earlier noted scallops on the bird too. The bird then flew around the back of Bird's Eye over to the wind turbine and then again following the seawall area and again directly over our heads before it started to concentrate flying around the wind turbine where after sometime, it disappeated presumably roosting on the wind turbine at 6.14pm.

Dip Farm and Gunton ORT meander

On Monday 24th October, this afternoon parking at the pitch and putt car park by Corton woods, I walked over to the ORT and reaching the Radde's copse I heard the rasping of a Brambling heard and at the Gunton ORT a Redwing was seen in a bush.

Wheatear at Ness Point

On Monday 24th October, I parked just south of the Orbis building and breaking news of a Wheatear around the Orbis building meant I was in the right spot at the right time. I soon spotted it within the Wind Turbine compound and it flew out to the sea wall and perched along the sea wall. It then flew back to the compound and I photographed it just outside the fence. Roger C and Rob Win seen again.

Southwold Dusky but noffin of the Puffin

On Saturday 21st October, I parked along North Road at Southwold and opp 71 (the reedy area where the Blyth's Reed had been seen 2 years eatlier) by 2 bushes in the reeds the "takk" of the Dusky Warbler was frequently heard but we were limited to glimpses of the bird, often obscured but once the whole bird was seen and the strking supercilia seen once too. It flew between the bushes before flying west to the Sallows. Paul & Sara appeared and later Brian S, the finder. News was then messaged out from the local What's App that John B had sighted a reasonably close Puffin just off Ness Point, I ran back to the car. Drove to Ness Point around half an hour later got to Ness Point, parked up but no one was there. Scanning the sea, I couldn't see any bird on the sea let alone a Puffin. Roger C then turned up and we then saw John B who was walking back he had left the bird sitting on the sea but there was no sign of it now. Instead a fine winter- plumaged Knot was on the area just off the compass at Ness Point but people by the compass flushed it and it flew onto the finger promtorary before people walking out over the finger flushed it and it flew north and appeared to land on the small ledge just east of the seawall. I went to investigate and the bird was still there, very carefullyclimbing over I managed to get a few pics of the bird but it was often staying within the shadier half of the ledge. Nice to catch up with RobWin later on as I made my way back to Ness Point. A look around Corton churchyard revealed very little but I saw a Coal Tit, a Song Thrush and Goldcrest plus the Corton New Sewage works, a Grey Wagtail flew up from the entrance to the complex and flew south.

No sign for me of the BRT

On Friday 20th October incredible news of a Blue Rock Thrush within the grounds of the Hermaness Holday Park at Winteron had me in the afternoon parking just south of there but very unfortunately there was no sign of the BRT for me, a caravan park to the south hosted a female type Black Redstart and a lateish Wheatear in the valley. I left at 3.30pm but annoyingly for me, the bird reappeared at 5pm along Back Lane.

Merveille and Dartford

A message from John H and I was soon making my way over to Hemsby in Norfolk and we saw the fine Merveille De Jour moth, which when released crawled under a leaf so John decided to recapture it and release it safely at night, also seen was a bonus Mallow by the back fence. Back home, I then looked around the North Beach, Ness Point and Birds Eye and very little save for a Stock Dove fly into the former gas turbine yard and 9 Turnstone and that was it no sign of the 'confiding Brambling', at Ness Pt nor the 2 Caspians at North Beach or the Snow B along the seawall. At 4.30pm, a tweet from James W. and I went down to Gunton Warren in the wryneck/ shrike area, just 50 yds north of there and the grey post, I saw a flock of 5 LT Tits, 2 Blue Tit and Goldcrest and then the fine Dartford Warbler flew out of some bracken and headed towards a bramble, I heard it "churr once too, all around 5pm, but only seen and heard the once.

Best seawatch ever!

On Sunday 9th October, I will pre-empt this entry by explaining that the much missed, much lamented the late Ricky F used to often decry poor seawatches as "the worst seawatch ever!", Ricky did however later pick up some really good seabirds later on and in truth, he was an excellent seawatcher and his former mantle of not seeing much out to sea, I had inherited in recent years, but hopefully this has now changed, it certainly did today! a WhatsApp tweet from Brian S stating that a Pterodama Petrel species had just been seen off Southwold and heading north had me driving to Ness Point, rather an inconveniently a set of traffic lights had been added near the Foxburrow but despite this and the Ravine being closed I arrived at Ness Point at 9.20am and soon set up joining Rob H, no sooner had I done so, than Rob shouted he had it... reasonably close around 3/4 mile out just beyond the 2 yellow bouys. A distinctive bird, this Fea's type Petrel, it really flew quickly it was spiralling up and down one minute disappearing beneath the high waves next looping up and careering up with angled wings and then glding down again, generally dark (greyish above), dark underwings, greyish head and white belly with short dark stubby bill and obvious very pointed tail end and greyish upperparts to the tail (bigger than Leach's Petrel but smaller than a Sooty- I would guess midway inbetween), I saw it 3X but it was easy to lose it when under the high waves, I saw it for a total of around 2 minutes duration (between 9.30-9.32am) and finally lost it as it passed the green bouy further north. Rob then rang Rob Wil and I rang James B to get them onto it. I am very pleased to say James B then saw it at 9.37am, I rang John H who went to Scratby but alas both Rob Wil and John H missed it. Rob shouted Sooty and we saw a fine dark brown all dark Shearwater, a Sooty Shearwater. Another 2nd Sooty, also flew north, so 2 Sooty Shearwaters in all, with long and narrow wings Birds were passing including groups of Brent Geese flying south 5, 3, 8 etc. The Wigeon, 1, 3, 5 going south. Plus Dunlin going south 5, 8 etc. Divers, mostly RTs were sen flying south including 8 single birds with one bird really close in. A Grey Plover flew south, Black auxillaries (armpits! prominent). Gannets- 1, 3, 5, 1, 1 went south. Andrew E arrived just 10 minutes too late and later Peter N, too. Andrew soon spotted a bird flying north dark above, and pale whitish greyer below, smaller and slimmer than Arttic with long slender wings and the flight was bouncing up and down as it flew north, a fine probable Long- tailed Skua! About 10 minutes later, a much closer bird, also smaller and slimmer, with long slender wings dark above with noticable frosty barring on the underwings rump and attenuated tail with a blunt tip, it's flight was also typically "bouncy" and this really was it, a fine immature Long- tailed Skua, my first for many years and a personal first for Lowestoft,(I'd previously seen some off Southwold)! Further out for nice comparison I spotted a typical dark phase Arctic Skua flying low over the water going north then wheeling up to harry a Gull several times before continuing north. A little later on, Andrew E then shouted Pom and we picked up a heavier looking Skua fine dark, barrel chested a fine Pomarine Skua (just past the yellow bouys- and another Skua I haven't seen for a few years), with noticable primary patch white wing flash seen on the underwing. Flying steadily north. It was a real Skua ID masterclass today!