Full of Eastern Promise? Not so far!

Ever since Thursday, there has been strong easterly winds offering plenty of promise but delivering very little so far, lets hope we get some bad weather to ground the inevitable migrants. As it turned out the weekend delivered a couple of visitors from the north rather than the east! On Thursday 26th September, I made my way after work to the pool by Corton New Sewage works where Andrew E had brilliantly found both Black Darter and Willow Emeralds. Sadly I missed all of these Odonatas (the sun had just gone in when I arrived at 5.40pm, too late!) and had to content myself with 4 Chiff- Chaffs in the plantation (always a productive area) following a nice group of 20 Long- tailed Tits moving through. On Friday lunchtime, I had a 2 hour extended lunch (TOIL) at the Corton New SW Pool and Ricky F refound a superb Willow Emerald, my first in Lizard land/ Lowestoft. showing well but just out of photographic reach and enjoyed by Chis M, Maurice B and myself it was perched on the vertical branch of a bush bordering the western side of the pool. The dagger mark on the side of the thorax being a diagnostic feature. On Saturday 28th September, a very disappointing total lack of migrants in the afternoon (a nagging headache, due to the high pressure/ humidity, kept me housebound in the morning) and couldn't see the Firecrest at any of the 4 entrances to Bird's Eye (I assume it was seen by the western offices entrance but not entirely sure!) but it was nice to see a close Brent Goose on the east side of the Oval, looking through the fence albeit directly facing into the fading sun. IThe Goose was faithful to a small shaded area and was constantly feeding in a small 3 metre square area during the whole time of observation. On Sunday 29th September, another Firecrest dip, this time it was too windy in Sparrows Nest again in the afternoon, but a tweet from mid afternoon Danny P, had Paul F, Jane F & myself dashing to the northern path slope leading down from CEFAS and I refound the excellent Snow Bunting feeding on a secluded bit of concrete at the bottom. It then flew a little way onto the main path, before it was about to feed in the sunlight on the main path, it was inevitably flushed and it flew back to the pink tarmaced path sloping down from directly underneath the CEFAS's northern side and the bird was particularly confiding (see header shot! & below) and seen just 2 feet away until some walkers pushed it towards me, I couldn't believe it (ala Victor Meldrew) when two of their number apologised for flushing saying they hadn't seen it when it had been trundling down the slope barely 3 feet in front of them for a good ten metres!! They flushed it but it flew up and alighted further up the slope. It was seen again for a while before the inevitable dog walker flushed it right off the slope again and flew further east down the slope

Yellow- browed Warbler at the Nest

At around 10am today, I made my way to Sparrow's Nest after the fog had dispersed but had been beaten in finding the first YBW of the autumn and above the Bowling Green I saw Andrew E, Robert Win, OFB and later Robert Wil as we waited a short time and suddenly the excellent Yellow- browed Warbler started constantly calling a high pitched "tsuuip". The only problem was we couldn't initially see it, as it was near the very top of the trees but eventually came down to 2/3 of the height of the tree and a flitting movement soon put us all onto it. A small Warbler with whitish underparts and cream supercilia seen from the angle we ewre viewing it from, as it flitted around in the tree showing occasionally before after 4 minutes it suddenly stopped calling and we lost it from view after seeing it three times for around 3 minutes. Little seen on the Denes save for an adult winter Mediterranean Gull flying south over the sea and an adult Common Tern perched on the groynes. 3 Chiff- Chaffs heard and later on in Sparrow's Nest at lunchtime where 5 Migrant Hawkers were seen flying around the bowling green hunting insects at least 3 were blue adult males. At Fallowfields in the afternoon, 2 Chiff- Chaffs heard.

All Quiet on the Eastern Front

Friday 20th September nothing seen at Ness Point, this afternoon save for 2 Turnstones on the wreck of the old sea wall. 2 Chiff- Chaff were also heard along the North Denes slope. 2 Common Tern seen flying south along the sea plus an adult Mediterranean Gull in winter plumage and letter seen on the beach. After a chap said he'd seen a rare gull on the beach with orange bill black band on the lower bill and orange legs wih rings on both legs, did I know what it was? I said "Mediterranean Gull" and sure enough it was the adult winter Mediterranean Gull a ringed bird this bird had a white ring with black lettering "E861" on its right leg and a smaller silver ring on its left leg. It spent most of its time running along the shore line before it flew north into the over the sea and onto the next bit of beach.

Lesser Grey Shrike at Aldringham Walks AND Wilson's Phalarope at Cley

Having TOIL from work during the morning of Wednesday 18th September, I was to try the Herculean feat of going for both the LGS near Sizewell and the Wilson's P at Cley during the morning off from work I had today. So just after first light (it started to get light at 6.30am but by around 7.30am the sun was staring to shine and found myself driving along the Sizewell road looking for the Halfway cottages thanks to the obligatory OS map I found them easily and managed to find a parking space (only 2 available but preferable to the very long walk required if you parked at Leiston as advised) on the opposite side of the road just 50 yards before. I walked across found the bridleway snaking back in a south- east direction behind the cottages and a reassuringly located horse box. I could see the power lines from the road and looking east from the path could see what must have been the horse paddocks (but no horses in them, probably still in their stables?) directly underneath power lines. I met 2 birders, one just grunted at me neanderthal style when asked if they'd seen the bird, the other helpfully told me to look underneath the power lines along the fence posts. I duly followed the advice and quickly located the excellent Lesser Grey Shrike perched on a back fence post. A super bird, basically a mixture of grey black and white, slightly bigger than RBS the grey colouring being; grey crown, fore crown running into a grey neck and mantle. The black colouring being; on large rounded head a thick black stripe running back from the lores past the eye and running to the back of the ear coverts. With black wings and tail. The white on the throat and underparts with square white patch at the base of the primaries when the wings were closed forming a distinct patch, there were white edgings to the median coverts and tail sides. The bird would frequently fly off the fence posts hunting for food before being relocated often on a different fence post on the other side of the paddocks. At 8.30am, I left for Cley taking the Beccles, then Norwich (held up by a lorry travelling 40 mph the entire length of Beccles to Norwich outer ring road), Norwich outer ring road and Holt road and finally at 10.45am, I was walking down to Bishops Hide (this is located on the right hand side of the road walking 300 yards right of the Visitors centre. I was fortunate in the crowded hide to quickly get a seat and the superb Wilson's Phalarope was immediately on view briefly walking around on the extreme right hand edge of an island that was helpfully right in front of the hide around 40 feet away. The Phalarope was constantly feeding with its head and pencil thin bill pecking the earth for food as it made its way around the ducks and Teal sitting on the extreme right of the island. The bird appeared slightly larger than other Phalaropes with long neck and long needle thin bill giving it a very delicate appearance. It had a striking pale appearance with light grey crown, top of neck and upper parts with just a hint of immaturity browner on just a small amount of flight feathers. It had striking yellow legs and was constantly walking about feeding often with its head just above the surface of the ground/ water. It appeared to be more dry ground dwelling than other Phalaropes but it didn't stop it from occasional but rare sorties into the water. Typically it would give a brief walk around before disappearing out of sight at the back of the island for a while. However this excellent bird didn't keep you waiting for long and during the hour and 10 minute period of observation (I had acute time pressures as I was due back at work at 1pm) it reappeared at least six times. The last time was the best when it walked to the front edge of the island and then giving superlative views as it walked left feeding out in the open. Other birds out there were many 200 Black- tailed Godwits a family of 5 Ruff (2 adults and 3 immatures) plus another adult elsewhere and finally The heralds of winter, a quartet of Pink- footed Geese that flew around and settled amongst all the Greylag Geese. It was good to hear the dulcet tones of Ali R, who like me, had only seen one previously, the fondly remembered Benacre Broad bird way back in mid September 1991. The Wilson's Phalarope was one bird I particularly wanted to see again. It was now 11.50 am and time to go, as I drove past Walsey Hills, I could see a group of birders probably looking at the RBS, a great shame I couldn't join them for a view but work beckoned.

Juvenile Rose- coloured Starling at Caister

Arriving at the Beach road, Caister today, I saw Peter C & Diane and a big flock of 200 Starlings flew over us and amongst them was we spotted the excellent very pale sandy coloured Rose- coloured Starling flying around. It then flew over to the buildings just east of the Beach road car park along Beach Road & Old Mill road and it was seen perched and scoped from the car park on the roof and chimney pots with Ricky F and John H briefly joining us joining us before it flew again. Walking along back along Beach rd, I saw the bird perched first on the roof then amongst the chimney pots and then it flew to a more distant roof where good scope views were obtained. It flew again. Seeing the Dereham lads, as sharp as ever they had picked it up near a roof top with solar panels in Clay Road (first left west of car park) and we had good views of it here where it rested for some 10 minutes along with around 20 or so other Starlings above the panels. A very sandy looking bird as is always the case with immatures with yellow base to the bill and very clean fresh dark black or brown flight feather with white/ cream edgings giving it a very clean smart looking appearance. It then flew again and was seen at the back of a chimney pot, down a side a passage of the Street, where I managed a few shots before it and the Starling flew onto a green area. They fed here for a while before they flew again. Reassembling back at the car park, I amazed Paul W by picking up the bird in flight, which was easy to do with the Zeiss bins I now have, obviously it was very pale but appeared slightly bigger than the other Starlings with slightly blunter edged wing tips maybe with broader bases making it reasonably distinctive n flight if you were warranted a good view. Also good to see around 30 House Sparrows around the green area and a further 10 House Sparrows opposite the Library too. Late on today 4pm, news came out of a LGS at Aldringham walks but where on earth was that? After 30 minutes pouring over maps of Suffolk, I finally located was near Sizewell, but I had run out of time as I calculated it would take 2 hours to get it; 1 hour's drive and another hour's 2 mile walk and in the driving rain to boot! Should have gone as I would have seen it very late on at 6.35pm, when it was still showing. Lets hope it stays to next weekend as there will not be enough time either before or after work (start work at 8am finish at 5pm).

North Denes late on

On Saturday 14th September following the rain I went out onto the north denes and saw several Lounge Lizards plus 3 Whinchats perched at top of 5 foot high vegetation and I wheatear seen on the sea wall and 1 Arctic Skua flew reasonably close in flying south. I searched the Oval, netposts and north beach and a Sandwich Tern and 2 immature Common Terns seen on the groynes.

Large White caterpillars

Over the last 3 week during the recent hot weather I have been counting regular numbers of Large White caterpillars or larvae on the Burrage centre car park at work at the Hospital, normally the counts have been in high single figures but reached a record of 26 one day over a week ago and 5 were still crawling along on Friday the 13th. Also today, Saturday the 14th around 20 Jackdaws flew over chasing a Rook flying overhead and north over the garden.