Christmas at Ness Point

On Christmas Eve, at 4.30pm James Paget Hospital, a pre-roost gathering of some 38+ Pied Wagtails were attempting to settle in the bushes bordering the Burrage Centre garden. On Christmas day afternoon, I finally made it out after recovering from one of my greatest fears, the house alarm going off at 2am at night during th every early hours of Christmas Eve and fears of not being able to silence it. Fortunately, we were able to silence it after a few minutes, but I wasn't able to get back to sleep for a couple of hours. Later that morning from work at 9am I called the company that looked after it and after leaving a message they quickly got back to me issuing instructions on how to remedy it. Jenny & Matthew were able to do so, as I was waorking until 5pm that day. I visited Ness Point, just a few 5 Turnstones seen initially at the Point but wondering behind the Orbis Energy building a fine pristine male Black Redstart was seen in all his finery, orane red shivering tail black about with a flash of white on his wings. He perched briefly on the building just west of Orbis Energy and then he was off. Meanwhile, a calling Rock Pipit flew up and perched at the top of the Orbis Energy building. As I walked to the area, north of Ness Point, I looked at the inner ledge and saw 3 Oystercatchers but a group of people flushed some waders from the inner ledge further along including 8 Turnstone and a small flock of 4 Purple Sandpipers, the quartet of Sandpipers all alighted briefly on a triangualr rock in front of me, before using as a brief rest to fly over to the inner ledge. As I watched them a further Purple Sandpiper flew in from the south, making 5 Purple Sandpipers in all, this is my persona highest tally this winter and only one below the maximum count this winter so far! As I walked back, I saw a further Oystercatcher so 4 Oystercatchers in total. and Perched like a sentinel on a groyne was an adult winter- plumaged Mediterranean Gull which then later flew north. Checking Hamilton Dock, the new jetty from the north- east corner had extended and further fencing erected and access to the gravelly area will soon be totally restriced so photography here will be further away and severly limited sadly. Security is by the Port Authority so the lenient days of SLP are well and truly gone, sadly. By the old lighthouse square area, can be a productive spot & today a Goldfinch and a Meadow Pipit were sighted . On my arrival they flew from the weeds growing between the concrete ground slabs. My best visit to Ness Point so far this winter, fitting it should be Christmas Day, Happy Christmas!

Benacre & Covehithe

On Saturday 21st December, I walked down to Covehithe Broad and I first saw 1 then 2 Scaup like female Tufted Ducks in a group of Duck along the north side of the Broad, but then from the right first 1 then 2 genuine female Scaups were seen but were quite skittish and were shy of the camera. There was also a smart male Pochard too and together with the Goldeneye seen on the south side of the Broad 2 male and 3 female Goldeneye. Walking to Benacre Broad, the 7 Whooper Swans were mostly asleep along the Broad hide inlet, one bird was preening a lot. There was also 1 female Goldeneye on the Broad too. This was all very nice, but the atmosphere was ruined when I heard shooting coming from within the Beach Farm Covehithe complex, Pigeons and Jackdaws flew up and 1 Jackdaw was hit and plummeted to the ground, I then saw a freshly dead Pigeon on the grass by the pink cottage by the road and opposite St. Andrew's Church, not good.

Shopping Trollies!

On Sunday 15 December, no birds but I saw 21 shopping trollies on the riverbed of Lake Lothing, at very low tide by Asda, welcome to Lowestoft!

Velvet Scoter

On Saturday 14 December 2024, after several successive brief seawatches failing to see any Little Auks, only seing a Brent Goose which flew north, it was especially gratifying to see 3 Velvet Scoter at the front left of a flock of some 500+ strong Common Scoters off Gorleston Cliffs, still just south of Gorleston beach cafe where they had been seen by Rob M the previous day. Also one Grey Wagtail flew south over Gorleston cliffs calling as it went.

Bee Orchids

On 5 December, I was delighted to find 10 florettes of Bee Orchids which have sprung up in the Burrage Centre garden at the James Paget Hospital garden.

Hoopoe along Sizewell beach

After missing several Hoopoes recently at North Walsham, Thorpe cum Haddiscoe, Stubbs Wood, Gunton and realising I would be too late to see it at Thorpeness yesterday. I was very keen on Sunday 17th November, to see the Hoopoe at Sizewell. So once I heard it was still at Sizewell, I drove there, but there was no free parking available by Sizewell village so I tried to another spot I knew where there were a couple of spaces and I took the footpath to the beach, by the caravan park I heard a Stonechat calling 'chack chack.' and wandered down only to be greeted by the news that the bird was showing well 5 minutes earlier but a dog walker had thrown a ball at the bird (!!!) and the bird had flown north, I walked north with no luck and no sooner had that happened then we heard the bird had been seen in flight again in the same original spot by the same lady I had just been talking to. Matthew D, strolled along and as soon as I saw him I saw the excellent Hoopoe fly up near us, wonderful butterfly like flight and then right over out heads before it flew down the beach and appeared to fly up into the small trees on the cliff. We walked down and again we saw the Hoopoe fly up and again into the cliff trees. Matthew saw it fly again. We were then joined by John G. and photographer. I then walked up to the cliff top where we heard the bird had been sighted ten minutes walk away I walked south along the cliff top path skirting Sizewell hall grounds, we saw Rob Win and Julie and then we heard the bird had been sighted back in its original spot so we headed back again. The bird was then seen flying around the cliff and then a little further north into scrub and gorse. Rob, Julie & Matthew all left. Fortunately for them they didn't witness the behaviour of 3 specific individuals who were constantly hassling the bird getting far too close and causing the bird to fly frequently. Which was very disappointing to see, to say the least. This also put paid to me getting really good photos so these are really OK shots only. When I got to the beach, a younger birder, perhaps influenced by this behaviour, was edging far too close to the bird, that was sighted feeding along the edge of the gorse areas. I told him to stop and fortunately he did and the others were temporarily reigned in too, so now finally with a little common sense, we managed to view this bird at mid range for some twenty minutes. The bird was constantly feeding (but always in the shadows) until a family walked towards it (not deliberately), it stopped feeding then raised its crest and then flew north and into some bushes. The bird was seen in flight a couple of times and I last saw it in a bush, it was the other side of the bush and I didn't want to disturb it, I was close to it and I was waiting and hoping to see if it would drop down onto the path and feed. But, inevitably other birders walking south towards the bush, hadn't seen it perched in the bush their side & had inadvertently flushed it and it then flew over the cliff top. A female Stonechat was seen too. The sun was getting quite low and it was my time to leave, having been there around 3 hours.

Desert Wheatear = Birthday bonus

On Friday 15th November, after receiving a very welcome phone call from Jane F saying both her and Paul was watching the Desert Wheatear at Winterton, just after 12.15pm, I drove stright over there and from the triangle sign along the North beach I saw Mick D who was a Seal Volunteer with other volunteers and he said the bird was around 200 metres further north with 4 people, 2 people I knew very well and a photographer who was 'on the bird'. I reached them to see Paul & Jane F and another birder plus photographer Jim L lying down quite close to the bird. The bird was perched on a small sand hill, it was the fine female Desert Wheatear. I almost joined him and took a few pics but unfortunately my camera setting was still on ISO 1600 which was too much for this now bright day. I quickly changed the setting to auto ISO meaning the camera selected ISO 100 which gives the best quality. I then joined Paul & Jane F. saw the bird which was often on the move and now moving north, I went into the Dunes and crawled up to the Dune edge and saw the bird reasonably close then the bird flew towards me and perched on a pebble where I obtained my closest shots, again without disturbing the bird. Also on the beach were around 15 Grey Seals the closest one , but still by the shore/ sea edge, I took pictures of one of their number from the edge of the dunes. It then flew onto the beach and then flew a little way south again. I could see Tim H walking up and I walked and joined the throng of birders where we saw it perch on a tree stump and then it flew again. Drving back past the Casietr bypass dual carraigeway a Buzzard closely followed by a Kestrel flew east across the road. A great trip and only my 3rd female Desert Wheatear having seen previous females at Heacham Hunstanton and a fabulously showy bird on Gorleston beach.