Belton & Lound

On Sunday 4th May, a really enjoyable evening, the yellow flowers of the gorse were in full flower and the heady aroma pervaded the Common, another wonderful sound heard regularly was the wonderful "purring" call of Turtle Doves, with Turtle Dove heard seen on a distant electricity pylon, 2 birds flew 1 flew to far trees one flew back to the cage by the pylon, and its started its evocative purring call again. As I watched the bird, the sides of its throat bulged and puffed out like a bulbous ball. Further along, I heard 3 Whitethroats and another close purring Turtle Dove but I couldn't see it and I didn't want to disturb said bird. Meanwhile, a distant but showy Garden Warbler was seen in the top of a tree. The evening sunlight picked out the yellow flowers on the gorse to great effect. At Lound very little was initially seen. As I drove away however, along the the top of inland lane opposite a field, I saw a Hobby fly low and right low over a field, with dark scythe like wings, clearly seen. Driving past, the usual Little Owl tree the Little Owl sat right out on an exposed branch but alas, the light was going and there was not enough for any photography using the car as a hide.

Bank Holiday at Oulton Marshes

My bank holiday birding has been severely affected because the suspension went on the car when negotiating the sleeping policeman hump and a loud bang underneath me meant I was restricted to local Lowestoft birding, no real hardship. On Saturday 2nd May, it was really sunny weather when I walked down Fisher Row, 2 Chiff- Chaffs seen singing and Willow warbler heard. Down the side path, a Sedge Warbler showed well. Barn Owl flying over the marsh. Walking back 3 Whitethroats seen and heard.

Carlton Marshes

On Monday not much on the Scrape, although typically I saw the Short- eared Owl flying distantly over the east end. Barn Owl also seen.

Oulton & Carlton Marshes

Sat 25 April no sign of Garganey at Oulton Marshes but a couple of male Blackcaps heard and saw a Lesser Whitethroat heard and seen by the middle bush by the fence bu the path of the sloping field, Gadwall on the marsh plus 5 Teal & 2 Egyptian Geese, Reed Warbler heard here too behind platform on river overflow pool Carlton Marshes much better with pair of Mandarin seen walking distantly on grass far right end. Redshank and several Lapwing seen walking back sev male Reed Buntings. A Short-eared Owl flying by the path and bushes and then seen south and then fling westwest of here. Meanwhile, a Cuckoo flew past calling and it or another flew atop a telegraph pole before flying off west. Several Sedge Warblers & Grasshopper Warblers heard too.

Benacre/ Kessingland sluice

Sat 18 April walking up to Kessingland Sluice, as usual I saw Paul & Jane F returning, the good news was the Ouzel was still there and Chris D was there too. I walked up to Chris D along the Benacre side of the sluice just by the bend in the road looking down into the grassy area just in front of the scrub area, it was her that a male Ring Ouzel showed really well until frustratingly a dog arrived and spooked it to fly over to the Kessingland side by the scrub on the western edge. This repeated a pattern over the next hour when the Ouzel would either fly back or by seen by the far road area only to be spooked by further dogs/ walkers always its default bolt hole the bushes just west and north of the sluice. Why does this always seem to happen these days just as you are focusing on the bird ready to get some great shots and in any case the dog should have been on a lead during the nesting seson on a nature reserve. I walked of in disgust and when I saw Chris move purposely along the road I knew he had something interesting, as I joined him I saw a close Cuckoo sitting in abash which sadly almost instantly flew off eastwards. 3 Wheatear male & 2 females seen in total on the stony area by the Pit. Swallows were also seen, 2 in number, 1 on wires and 1 overhead also 4 Sand Martin flying overhead behind/ west of the Pit. A male Wheatear & female Wheatear seen by the grassy area just north of the sluice. A hybrid hoodie seen on the north side of sluice flew onto a bush and showed well.

Smoke on the Marsh

On Thursday 16th April early evening, walking around Spratt's Water, Carlton Marshes it was immediately apparent that the fires set off by the cowardly and despicable vandal arsonists had completely devasted the reedbed with only the reeds bordering the dykes and a section of the reed bed over the far southern end were still intact. This will, in the short and medium term, have a devastating impact on the wildlife that chooses this area as home, specifically migrant Reed & Sedge Warblers, the threatened Water Vole and a whole host of invertebrates as well as Southern Marsh Orchids that usually gloriously line the paths in June/ July. I was relieved to see the Orchid section over the far end was largely untouched. The thick smell of acrid burnt reed, still permeated the air and there was a depressingly large area of black burnt reed seemingly devoid of all wildlife stretching as far as the eye could see. Despite that and defiantly, I was encouraged by hearing the songs of returning migrants, Willow Warbler, Chiff-Chaff, Whitethroat (my first of the year) and resident Reed Bunting that punctuated the air from surrounding areas and a Swallow defiantly flew over the burnt area. Lets hope the perpetuaters are caught and justice is carried out.

Benacre migrants but no Wryneck

Tuesday 14th April this evening was really sunny travelling back from work, I saw a Buzzard fly up from some trees by the farm building just west of the A12 by the Hopton roundabout. I had also seen a male Sparrowhawk fly west over the solar farm at the back of the JPUH Hospital at 8.55am this morning. Immediately after work, I was keen to twitch the Wryneck which had been seen in the donkey paddock (which had been seen by all who'd been down, would my unlucky streak end this evening??), so I went straight there. It was a hard slog down the long road to Benacre Beach farm and sadly there was no sign of the Wryneck, so my Spring dipping sequence continues. The only birds in the paddock were Pied Wagtail, male Chaffinch & Robin. However, I decided to check the Pit to see if the Wryneck was there and hopefully also bump into Rouzels or Wheatear. On the stoney ground just north of the Pit a fine male Wheatear perched on the bank by the path face on, and its creamy white belly really stood out like a pale beacon in the evening sunshine. As I was walking up to it, the Wheatear stayed quite content to stay there, until the camera came out and inevitably it then flew over the path.I also saw a female White Wagtail just in front of that it showed quite well in front of me. It walked across from right to left feeding and was a hive of activity. Abuptly, as I turned around to walk back and facing west, I saw a small falcon, dashing low over the ground, like a mini Peregrine with grey back short grey tail with black basal tip, Mistle Thrush sized, with a dumpy belly and pointed grey wings appearing darker at the tip, I watched for around 30 seconds it was a fine male Merlin, it flew right around the Common and then eventually disappeared behind some bushes behind the Pits. Only my third Merlin ever seen in Suffolk (the others were one seen flying in off the sea at Lowestoft harbour and one dashing over the reed bed just west of the west hide at Minsmere), but I have seen many Merlins on Scilly and several in Norfolk too.