Corton environs and Gunton

On Monday 21 April, a look around Corton OSW as I entered I heard the distinct and familiar seven note call of Whimbrel and I spotted 2 fine Whimbrels which flew low and north over the OSW. By the pond, 2 male Mallards and the Moorhen seen. As I was walking along the north fence I saw a male Wheatear perched up on the north-east corner, I managed a few shots with the Nikon (but can't load them up at the moment) there were around 5 Linnets, a Greenfinch and a Song Thrush seen. I walked down the road southern end of Broadland sands and heard a Willow Warbler singing from the trees above and saw the bird feeding in the canopy its cleaner white underparts and long wings gave me my first Willow Warbler sighting of the year, how they have declined locally. A Whitethroat was singing again from the "Pallid" pile and showed a nice male. A Chiff- Chaff was singing the other side of the road, as was another Whitethroat further down and a Blackcap. Later on at Gunton, I heard a scolding Lesser Whitethroat behind the Harvester.

A walk around Westleton Heath

After the grey cloudy day of yesterday and light rain, it was a relief that the sun finally came out mid morning and I ventured down to Westleton. From my usual track, butterflies were at last plentiful with 4 Peacocks seen, 2 Large White, at least 3+ Speckled Wood and 2 Commas, the latter 2 posed well for the camera by the path. There was also some Bracket Fungus near the base of a tree. I saw a female Goldcrest and I also heard probably 3 Nightingales singing but typically not seen, whilst a Lesser Whitethroat scolded away and showed well albeit against the sun in a bush for several minutes to the right of me. I also heard a Wood Lark but not seen. Several Dartford warblers seen including a pair in heather to the right of me, 1 near the end of the path and as I walked back just before the birch, another pair of Dartford nwarblers seen, so 5 Dartford Warblers seen in total, a great tally as they can be a difficult species to see in a year. I saw a Bronze beetle on the path, but the Green Tigers remained elusive, however a fine Small Copper butterfly flew around the path and posed relatively well for me. As I walked back, I heard another Lesser Whitethroat and Nightingale but neither bird seen. A vocal Chiff- Chaff was seen though. Several mewing Mediterranean Gulls flew overhead, c5. in total.

Orange Tip in the garden

On the afternoon of Friday 18th April, a fine male Orange Tip butterfly (my first of the yaer) flew around and briefly settled within the flower border near our conservatory in the back garden. A Large White butterfly seen brriefly too. Only the 11th and 12th records of butterflies seen this year, numbers are way lower than usual.

Very early start at Corton

On Friday 18 April I had a very early start parking in Corton Churchyard, down to Broadland Sands caravan park and a Great-spotted Woodpecker flew over the road. A Whitethroat (my first of the year) was singing and showed briefly by weeds by the now infamous Pallid spoil heap. So I walked up to the Corton MOD fields and I was pleased to see 2 summer plumaged Golden Plovers still in the fields. I walked back to the Church and then by the entrance track to Corton Old Sewage Works, first a female Blackcap showed her lovely chestnut cap by the trees, then a male Blackcap was seen and was quite a showy indivdual constantly singing and posed well for the camera in nice light too. The Moorhen was at the pond and a Song Thrush at the back ditch. On the fields just south of the OSW, 5 Linnet seen and a pair of Linnets were in the compound and 1 male bird was nicely perched up too.

Incredible evening

On Thursday 17th April, after work at 6pm I drove to Corton Church, I walked down to Broadland Sands, where I saw Rob H on his cycle, We met up and walked down the road to the site oppoiste at 6.08pm, incredibly Rob shouted Pallid Harrier and instantaneously I saw a Harrier flying around 40 metres away flying low over the field heading east/ south/ east towards Broadland Sands. I concentrated on the wing tips and could clearly see 2 clearly defined black wedges in the underwing primaries, clearly it was a Pallid Harrier, possibly a third calendar year male. It was generally greyish but showed a buffish suffusions too. The wings appeared typically broad based. We lost the bird through the tree/ hedgeline. Rob decided to check to Corton Old Sewage works, whilst I decided to check the field margin walking parallel with the road south, I walked up to a big a mound area and incredibly barely 10 metres away, at point blank range!! The fantastic 3rd calendar year male Pallid Harrier flew up from the ground at 6.32pm, I had inadvertently flushed it! It had a young rabbit clasped within its talons. Here I could clearly see, for a Harrier species, the broad-based wings, the generally greyish upperparts with the buffish suffusion, and the white upper-tail coverts or white was much smaller rump appearing a more restricted 'U' shaped lacking the white square prominence of the Hen Harrier rump. The tail was long generally grey but with a some very diffuse buffish barring, only see when the bird flew up 20 metres away. The underparts were generally white with a dark grey 'boaa' and agrey streaked head with white suercilia short black bill, yellow eye with black pupil. The bird flew low west over the field and lost it within the tree line. At the time in the field just west a tractor was cutting the grass short so I assumed it had avoided this area and I assumed maybe it had flown further west perhaps to the fields by Stirrups Lane? I walked to the road and was pleased to see James W had seen it. I walked down Stirrups Lane, saw Andrew E, James B, Rob Wil, they would stay there and I decided to walk back to the field and walk along the tree line carefully scanning as I went, after everyone agreed with this plan, I retraced my steps back to the field and unfortunately I could see a dog walker with a particularly yappy small terrier dog on a very long lead and it was imperative that I had to get ahead and walked quicker than I would have liked, as I approached the mounds by the trees, the fantastic Pallid Harrier flew up again about 50 metres way at 7.10pm and it flew low north between the treeline to the west and the mound to the right and I lost it behind the trees, it was great that the rest of the assembled birders along Stirrups Lane all saw it fly north-west over the fields at Stirrups Lane flying towards Lound. Carl B. texted to say the Hoopoe was back opposite Broadland Sands only problem was I was a 3/4 mile away along Stirrup's Lane, fortuntely Rob Wil stopped and gave me a lift in his car, which afforded me 2 minutes viewing the fine Hoopoe feeding which was nice, it typically flew west as I was assembling the camera for some hoped for record shots. TBC [PICS COURTESY OF ROB HOLMES, MY ESPECIAL THANKS].

Frustrating day

Before work, on Wednesday 16th April, I arrived at 7.15pm but just missed the Hoopoe in the field opposite Broadland Sands, it flew north and I missed it again when the Hoopoe was seen by Paul & Jane. However, I did see my first Swallow, of the year. On the field by Radar Lodge in the middle of the field, a line of 42 Golden Plovers, most in very smart breeding plumgae but als no time to photo them as I had to be in work by 8.30am. At 3.10pm, I went over to the field opposite Broadland Sands but unfortunately birders were standing on the site right next to the Hoopoe's feeding area, this is also a private site and meant we didn't see the Hoopoe, although I had a brief glimpse of a bird that could have been it, but another camouflage jacketed birder walked down and flushed it. Erring on the side of caution, I dscounted it.

2 second Hoopoe

On Tuesday 14th April, a look around Gunton Warren I failed to find the female Ring Ouzel, so I then went to Corton parked up by the church, where I saw Rob H, at the pond by the old Sewage works an incredible tally of 3 Moorhen seen plus the pair of Mallard. A walk around the Corton New Sewage Works, revealed a singing male Blackcap by the Corton ORT plus a calling Bullfinch, heard but not seen. As we walked back to churchyard, I suggested checking the churchyard and we walked around the back of St. Bartholomew's Church, at 7.25pm Rob raised his bins and said there's a Hoopoe and I latched onto the bird flying as it flew just beneath the height of the Church tower which then obscured the bird which appeared to be dropping into roost around Church farm. despite an extensive search and a Pipistrelle bat flying east from the church little else seen. [PIC COURTESY OF ROB HOLMES, MY ESPECIAL THANKS TAKEN BY ROB THE FOLLOWING DAY WED 15th APRIL]