Winterton dip but productive seawatch (for a change!)

On Wednesday 13th November, a day off work meant I could twitch the Winterton Desert Wheatear, only problem was I missed it by 5 minutes as I had walked around 900 metres north of the beach car park and the bird had moved to the beach opposite the car park walking back I could see a group of people watching it but by the time I got there I had missed it by just 5 minutes. It didn't reappear. A seawatch was quite productive from the car park revealed 6 Eider flying north (1 adult male leading the 6), plus a female Goldeneye flying north. 2 single Red- throated Divers flew north, 3 waders- a Knot and 2 Dunlin flew north, 1 female Goldeneye on the sea.

Long-eared Owl viewed from the Pier

On Tuesday 12th November, at 2pm I was finally able to take a lunchbreak and drive to Gorleston Pier walking out I saw Dereham Paul just leaving but there was also Paul & Jane F.,John R. and Rene B. all trying to photograph the bird in windy and rainy conditions. From the end of the Pier we looked north and saw the Long- eared Owl perched on defence rocks at the very edge of Yarmouth Harbour, the bird was distant but you could see most of the bird and its ear tufts though the scope that Jane kindly let me look through, by 2.10pm I had to leave, a really good lunchbreak twitch.

Amur Stonechat at Trimley Marshes

After an interesting Eastern type Stonechat had been typically found the previous Sunday and having to wait all week, albeit I had a few days off but there was the small matter of attending 2 Deep Purple concerts one in Birmingham at the BP Pulse Live arena on Monday (driving back Tuesday) and going down by train on Wednesday to attend a show that night at the 02 Arena at Greenwich, travelling back Thursday and working Friday meant I had to wait until the following Saturday 9th November to twitch this bird. The weather was on my side as it had been misty and murky all week and this weather pattern continued for the first part of the weekend at least. Amur Stonechat is the Stejneger's Stonechat of old with the last one seen (a first for Suffolk at the time) in Suffolk in October 2016 at Landguard and typically it did a bunk by the following weekend. Having not visit Trimley since the Whiskered Tern/ Little Bittern celebrated double bill in 20--, I had to look up where to go vagually remembering heading for Trimley St. Mary then crossing the railway line (where I had to wait for 6 minutes whilst a seemingly neverending goods train trundled past! At the end there was parking for around 15 cars and luckily there was one spare space so parking up I took the very long 1 mile + walk through farmland. Around a 1/4 of the way down an immature or female Black Redstart was seen flitting around in a large Oak tree not the usual habitat for this species but very welcome nonetheless. I carried on walking turning a corner right past some agricultural machinery and then following the track winding first one way and the next before a large bush was seen on the right, just past this was a load of Umbilfers set in a long strip of set aside by the edge of the field and the vehicular track plus 3 birders. I quickly got onto the bird, a fine Amur Stonechat, which appeared to be a 1st winter, it was flying and perching up onto the top of the umbilifers or perched half way up or even sometimes on the ground. The bird was incredibly confiding at times it flew past flycatching just above our heads and on 2 occasions it flew past me just a foot away. It perched on around a dozen times in vegetation on the very edge of the road just a couple of feet away. It had a black face, white throat, brownish streaked crown with a rusty streaked back, rusty rump with rusty uppertial coverts and a pale creamy wash on the underparts. It had a black bill and legs. As time went on more people arrived and was especially pleasing to catch up with Justin Z, Ellie Z & Justin's son having not seen them for several years. Equally pleasing was seeing David W, Roy M, Lee W from the Ipswich area and closer to home Rob W and James W. The bird continued to show well for all until one perosn went out to collect faecal samples (to confirm the bird's ID but given the showiness of the bird and all the photos taken that might not be necessary. Sadly, this action spooked the bird a little and it moved to the further side of the set aside strip for the next 30 minutes or so. As I walked back I saw the Black Redstart in the same area, this time flitting in the large trees the otherside of the road. Again typically elusive but occasionally seen. Please note some of the accompanying photos have been lightened.

A 'Serindipitous' occurrence

On Tuesday 5th November hearing of Rob M spotting a female Serin at Corton OSW, I walked down the west side couldn't see anything in the fading light as it was about 4pm, as I walked around the east side aside from 3 Linnets, Goldfinches and Greenfinch I spotted the shape of a smaller dumpier bird with domed head and short deeply forked tail flew up and it flew to the south- east corner of the OSW, presumably to roost in the Tamarisks. I suspected it was the female Serin. The very next day, Wednesday 6th November, I walked around around the west side of Corton OSW & at 7.50am I saw a bird fly into a bush near the north-west corner of the OSW from the compound, it looked very promising. It then flew again with some 4 Goldfinches and flew to the Rosebay Willow herb tall weed stems on the west side of the path. It was the fine female Serin. In flight it showed a deeply forked tail and noticable and prominent lemon-yellow rump. When it feed it showed a deep streaked body (above and below) only becoming unstreaked with the underparts near the undertail coverts white and unstreaked. It showed 2 faint wingbars. The pale breast, there was a tinge of yellow on the middle of the breast. Crucially, there was no yellow in the tail. It often spent time feeding behind the tallest stems and was obscured for most of the period of observation. After only 3 minutes for no reason the entire flock flew east towards the sewage works compound and sadly the female Serin wasn't seen again. About 20 minutes, later Andrew E arrived, then Paul & Jane and Maurice and finally Jeremy, but despite the additional observers present we couldn't relocate the bird. POSTSCRIPT: Later on amazingly Rob M found a female Serin at beach farm Benacre, was it the same bird that had moved on?

A quiet weekend with a showy Kestrel

On Sunday 3 November I parked up at the bridge nothing along Corton OTR although I did see James B and as we were talking a Green Woodpecker flew up and onto the left side of the trunk of a tree the other side of the road Stirrup's Lane, asI looked around Corton very little about save for a family of c12 Long- tailed Tits in St. Bartholomew's Churchyard, Corton included Blue & Great Tits and a Coal Tit. I heard the "tseep" of a Redwing and walking to Corton OSW I saw one fly out from the carvan park, nothing around Corton OSW save for 4 Greenfinces, 3 Goldfinches, a pair of Chaffinches and a male Blackbird by bushes by the dyke. As I walked back I saw a Great- spotted Woodpecker flew west. I looked around the parks inc. Arnold's Walk, Sparrows Nest nothing there but as I walked around the Netposts, I saw a male Kestrel perched up and over the next hour or so I got a few pics as the bird was quite confiding and allowed a close approach with care. It was pleasing to see the bird hunting and catch a mouse/ vole which it dispatched and fed from a post. I walked up to the seawall and I saw a Rock Pipit perched on the newish wooden ramp it flew up to the Birds eye with 2 other Pipits. Looking from the seawall to the ledge below opposite the wooden ramp I saw 1 Purple Sandpiper amongst the 3 Turnstone, my first of the winter. I then went back to look at the male Kestrel again. Before I then looked around Ness Point where a grey Black Redstart with white flash on its wing flew from the turbine yard and by the defence rocks just south of the Point. A dog walker somewhat inevitably flushed just a minute after I found it, I then bumped into Rob H for a chat. Looking at the pictures of the Kestrel, I could see it was rung with a silver ring with a partial read of '725' and from a different angle '0 (or 8)944' &'4323'. So, I think it is 7250 (or '8')944323 maybe??

Dartford at last & Orange Peel fungus

After missing the Dartford Warbler at Gunton Heath, I was determined to have another go. So leaving work at 3pm on Wednesday 30th October 2024 I was at the Heath by 3.30pm, I walked around and saw Nicholas on the Heath and by the cleared area I saw the Orange Peel fungus and got some pics, with the macro lens. There were several areas with spots of the fungus in the cleared area and on the entrance paths too. Finally, at 4pm, in an area directly opposite half way between the Hubbards Loke entrance and the south Dip Farm car park entrance just a few metres east of the cleared area I saw the fine Dartford Warbler fly out from a metre high clump of heather and directly into a large gorse bush, all of a 5 second view and it didn't call at all. As the light was fading I didn't want to disturb what might be its roost spot. So I walked off & also seen were a Green Woodpecker in undulating flight flying south, later on a Greater- spotted Woodpecker flew north and a Jay seen too. Finally, in the fading light a male Kestrel perched on a tree on the heath.

Return to the Whoopers

On Sunday 27th October, I was keen to try for some more pictures of the Whoopers at Benacre and following the extra hour in bed, I made my way there by 8am new time and walked down to the beach. The birds were there so I set up in the south- east corner hoping theyb would come to me they didn't. I looked in the hide, there was a couple in there. Against lots of wildfowl on the Broad with c300 Coot still, c400 Wigeon still, a male Shovelor and 2 male Pintail at the back. A female Marsh harrier flew at the back of the broad. There were lots of activity particularly from a party of 7 'tping' Bearded Tits flying around quite frequently but always flying into the reeds and out of sight. The high pitched call of a Kingfisher heralded the sighting of a Kingfisher perched on a stick in front of the hide scrape at the back and I managed a few pics. Looking at them the lower orangy/red mandible proved it was a female. I then walked back to the beach and slowly crawled up the fallen tree trunk using it as cover, the Swans were now on the Broad beach edge roughly two-thirds north. There were 7 Whooper Swans (3 adults and 4 immatures), the family party plus the adult bird. When people walked along the beach the Swans would slowly swim out onto the Broad and I was able to obtrain some nice shots in perfect light without disturbing them as they returned to the same position the beach edge when the walkers had gone. Later on a look around Corton was virtually birdless save for 2 parties of LT Tits and a look on Gunton Warren opposite for James W's dartford proved fruitless but I did see several examples of Orange Peel Fungus (thanks to Izzie for the ID) on the cleared area opposite Hubbards Loke.