Shrike and Walberswick birds

Having missed a lift for the Shrike yesterday, on Sunday 27th November, I drove down to Sutton Heath, I eventually arrived at the southern most car park and initially unsure where to go, returning birders said I had to walk 800 yards down the road and on the right hand side of the road look into a field opening and scan the distant hedge. I joined a small throng of birders including Paul & Jane F, Jane had picked up the bird perched on a distant bush and having been kindly put onto it. I followed its progress as it spent a lot of time hunting flying down and then returning to a different push usually on top of a bush or an overhead wire. It looked like an ordinary Great Grey Shrike save for the obvious white outer tail feathers, white all the way down suggesting it may be of the "homyeri" race. Indeed the white outer tail feathers were very similar to the pattern of Steppe Grey Shrike. It showed a little more white on the wing too. It worked its way down the fence and then worked its way back before flying even further back where we were joined by Chris L. At one time I saw several passerines flying over including one with a white rump, a Brambling. I then drove to Needham market, but sadly there was no sign of the BB Dipper at Hawksbill or the Weir. I then drove to Walberswick, I reached the shore line and immediately 30 Snow Bunting flew north along the ridge and perched on the beach around 60 yards away. I met Alson A who walked north in search of Snow Bunting, but 5 minutes after I left her, another 3 Snow Buntings flew north along the ridge. By the shore pools, a Great White Egret flew and flew back into some reeds but later walked and fished along a dylke before flying a little way south when someone, a birder walked along the ridge. Meeting Gerald J, we walked south towards Dunwich and I estimate I saw around 440 Common Scoters the majority of these were female. I did spot a female Velvet Scoter with 2 white smudge spots on its head and a tell tale white wing clip. It was seen near a juvenile Herring Gull. A couple of Red- throated Divers flew north here. I also saw a female Eider swimming towards me. walking further along, I again spotted a male Velvet Scoter, this time a smart black plumaged male again with the white wing clip seen. Just before leaving Gerald, I walked back and was really pleased to see 40 Twite flying along the beach heading north. Over the reeds by the Mill, a few Bearded Tits heard but not seen, plus 6 Marsh Harriers and 3 Buzzards over Westwood marshes. walking back through the woods and insane number of Pheasant seen or heard, 1 along the path, 1 in the wood, 2 in the trees- I estimate I must have recorded around 200.

Shrike and Walberswick birds

Having missed a lift for the Shrike yesterday, on Sunday 27th November, I drove down to Sutton Heath, I eventually arrived at the southern most car park and initially unsure where to go, returning birders said I had to walk 800 yards down the road and on the right hand side of the road look into a field opening and scan the distant hedge. I joined a small throng of birders including Paul & Jane F, Jane had picked up the bird perched on a distant bush and having been kindly put onto it. I followed its progress as it spent a lot of time hunting flying down and then returning to a different push usually on top of a bush or an overhead wire. It looked like an ordinary Great Grey Shrike save for the obvious white outer tail feathers, white all the way down suggesting it may be of the "homeyei" race. Indeed the white outer tail feathers were very similar to the pattern of Steppe Grey Shrike. It showed a little more white on the wing too. It worked its way down the fence and then worked its way back before flying even further back where we were joined by Chris L. At one time I saw several passerines flying over including one with a white rump, a Brambling. I then drove to Needham market, but sadly there was no sign of the BB Dipper at Hawksbill or the Weir. I then drove to Walberswick, I reached the shore line and immediately 30 Snow Bunting flew north along the ridge and perched on the beach around 60 yards away. I met Alson A who walked north in search of Snow Bunting, but 5 minutes after I left her, another 3 Snow Buntings flew north along the ridge. By the shore pools, a Great White Egret flew and flew back into some reeds but later walked and fished along a dylke before flying a little way south when someone, a birder walked along the ridge. Meeting Gerald J, we walked south towards Dunwich and I estimate I saw around 440 Common Scoters the majority of these were female. I did spot a female Velvet Scoter with 2 white smudge spots on its head and a tell tale white wing clip. It was seen near a juvenile Herring Gull. Divers flew north here. I also saw a female Eider swimming towards me. walking further along, I again spotted a male Velvet Scoter, this time a smart black plumaged male again with the white wing clip seen. Just before leaving Gerald, I walked back and was really pleased to see 40 Twite flying along the beach heading north. Over the reeds by the Mill, a few Bearded Tits heard but not seen, plus 6 Marsh Harriers and 3 Buzzards over Westwood marshes. walking back through the woods and insane number of Pheasant seen or heard, 1 along the path, 1 in the wood, 2 in the trees- I estimate I must have recorded around 200.

2 Cattle Egrets again at Gapton Hall Marshes

On Saturday 26th November, I took a walk down a sunny Harper's Lane and initially hearing gunshots I wasn't expecting to see the Egrets but seeing Jeremy staring eastwards was a hopeful sign. Sure enough, looking out in the field by a gate, 2 Cattle Egrets were seen around the gate. 1 Cattle Egret flew back and joined some cattle, the other bird stayed put. As the cattle wandered a little closer although they weeding on mare's tail, the Egret flew over to join them. The other side of the path, we saw a Little Egret stood erect bold upright whilst 2 immature Marsh Harriers flying further out. Back at the Egret field, a Buzzard flew across and settled by a gate before being briefly mobbed by a Kestrel.

Lowestoft and Haddiscoe Marshes

On Sunday November 20th, a pair of Stonechats were best on a morning's birdwatch round Ness Point and Hamilton Dock. At Haddiscoe Marshes in the afternoon from the mound an imm Rough- legged Buzzard was seen perched on a post it later flew to roost (showing white tail with dark terminal end) over Waveney Forest, 3 Buzzard, a female Hen Harrier following the line of a muddy bank, 3+ Short- eared Owls, Marsh Harriers 2 Barn Owls and a Kestrel & around 20 Pink- footed Geese.

Forsters Tern at Mistley

On Saturday 19th November, receiving a lift from Rob Wil, Ricky Rob and I arrived at Mistly Quay in Essex and the weather had been kind to us. The anticipated high winds and heavy rain hadn't occurred, instead we had had the odd light shower. We arrived and the bird hadn't been seen. We decided to look further down the road at Wrab Point we walked left along a fore shore and further along were wooden "beach style" huts and we saw a great deal of birds including 33 and 23 groups of Red- breasted Mergansers (female outnumbering males 4 to 1) There were Black- tailed Godwits c30 and groups of around 50 Dunlin and 3 Bar- tailed Godwits on shore close in. We counted around 17 GC Grebes out on the estuary but couldn't see any rarer Grebes or sea duck amongst them. We went back to the Quay and a chap had a call saying the bird had been seen further east, we drove down to an area by a railway line and walked north to the estuary and along the shore we could see the excellent Forster's Tern flying west slowly. It showed a black smudge around the eye area, a black bill and black wedge on the primaries. It was fishing around the buoy and we had good views of the bird, but it was always too far away to photograph. It eventually flew west. Walking back, we saw a visibly distressed regular Correspondent who cheered up when he spotted it himself later on. Back at the Quay, the bird was around the far western end but it suddenly flew past reasonably close but flew east at break neck speed again too quick for me to photo. At the Quay itself we saw it fly west again, on the far side of the bank, which was Suffolk proper and a very welcome addition to my Suffolk list.

Fairly Big Moon

Not having the chance to get any shots of the Big Moon until this evening, Thursday 17th November, because it was cloudy on the night itself of the full Moon (no sign tof it in very thick cloud) and I was at a meeting in Cambridge until late yesterday. So here is a picture of it taken at the entrance to Gunton woods.

Birthday bonus = Mealy Redpoll, Waxwing, 2 Cattle Egrets & Slav Grebe!

Taking annual leave from work today today, Tues 15th November, leaving the house I saw skeins of Cormorants flying east, groups of 9, 4 and 3 because it is my birthday, I started on the North Denes at around 8.30am, just north of the Bird's Eye factory, where 2 birders were looking west along the path running along the southern edge of the weedy patch. I veered around carefully to join them where they said they had seen the bird, but it had flown into the bushes. A minute or so later it flew down onto the edge of the weedy patch the South- western edge and I slowly edged towards it, I was about to get some pics when a dog walker appeared at exactly at the wrong time going past it just as I was focussing on it, so no pics. How annoying. I had to wait around 20 minutes, but I hadn't realised it was back among the weeds when a brown bird with whitish rump flew back into the bushes. It perched high up in a tree with a piece of plastic caught in the branches and I watched from a distance before it dropped to the grassy floor underneath a bush. Of course, another dog walker walked past and flushed it yet again. But this time it was only 5 minutes before the excellent Mealy Redpoll, flew to the south- western edge of the weeds again by the path and this time I slowly manoeuvred myself into position and managed to spend around 20 minutes photographing it. It was voraciously feeding on the seeds of the weeds, sometimes perched vertically across a stem and plucking the seed heads. Other times it perched upright on the stem and continued feeding. I watched it until a birdwatcher walking west along the path, obviously didn't see the bird and didn't understand my gestures to keep back, flushed it back into the trees. At Ness Point, theere was no sign of the Snow B behind the hut or anywhere at the Point. It was very high tide and I walked to the northern perimeter of the Point and saw a lone Purple sandpiper on the rocks, that was quickly joined by 2 more, making 3 Purple Sandpipers in total, 2 flew south a little way. There was no sign of any Waxwings around Spashett Road area. Whilst driving north along the A12 just past the Hopton roundabout a lone Waxwing flew low and west over the A12 clearly seen from the car, it appeared to land in th bushes just west of the carriageway. Looking from Meadow road at Burgh castle, I could see around 3 Little Egrets in the distant fields plus a quartering Marsh harrier. No sign of the Cattle Egrets until 2 excellent Cattle Egrets got up and flew south along the Breydon south wall fields sporting yellow bills and more rounded wings. At Filby, I walked to Ormesby Little Broad and saw several Tufted Duck c10 and 7 Great- crested Grebes all in a line in front of the lookout. I was really pleased to see the Slavonian Grebe swimming on the water mid way out swimming right and seen right from the lookout, it appeared to swim into the eastern arm of Ormsby Little Broad. Meanwhile calls overhead revealed at least 1 Siskin seen in flight. Walking back I saw a female Marsh Harrier flying overhead right to left. On Filby Broad, I counted 7 Goldeneye, 2 males and 5 females.