Swamphen by the Power Station

On Thursday 8th October, in an utterly bizarre occurrance, a Grey- headed Swamphen had been discovered shared on social media apparently it had been seen and filmed in a compound with a suitable puddle by the junction of South Denes Road and Gate 6 of Hartmann Road. So without any optics, I travelled down, immediately after work, at 5.10pm I initially saw Jeremy G. by some rusty iron girders, this wasn't the right place, Jeremy was searching for the Black Redstarts nearby and I took Jeremy round the corner to the road immediately south of Great Yarmouth Power station and saw a gathering of people including Paul & Jane F., John H. Apparently Ferguson views had been seen at 5pm, as the Swamphen had been seen stalking around the grassy verge just by the road and both Jane and John had obtained some excellent pics (one reproduced below by kind permission of Jane) However, the bird was currently out of sight. Within 20 minutes returning to the Road, Paul picked up the bird in a fenced compound and the excellent Grey- headed Swamphen was seen just left of a pile of sticks, it then wandered left and the to the side of the compound, sometimes being partially obscured before it wandered a little closer before again disappearing back along the Road, Jeremy G. picked the bird up in the corner near a bush and this is where I had my closest views of the bird as it stood and carefully preened. Unlikely to be ever accepted, this resident of central Asia, in countries like India. This bird, most definitely, is not a long distance migrant and most previous sightings have been classed as escapees. But there were no rings on this bird and could it have been ship assisted possibly? Anyway a lovely bird to see, especially as it was only 10 minutes from work and a bizarre but amazing sighting, I always like seeing any birds or wildlife. Photo reproduced below by kind permission & copyright of J Ferguson.

Still elusive YBW

On Saturday 3rd October, walking to the Travel Lodge at Gants Hills, 3 Ring- necked Parakeets flew over my head calling and flying west. On Sunday 4th October, I went down to Flycatcher alley and the Oval, to try and see the YBW again, I saw Jane & Paul F. but despite their presence we did not see (or in my case) hear the Yellow- browed Warbler in the last tree north of the sycamore before the steps. Having just travelled back from London and having to endure an extra 90 minutes rail replacement service by bus from Ipswich rail station to Halesworth rail station. I had no desire ton travel again to see a GGS back at Halesworth, a shame as it was something I would normally be keen to do. Instead, I wet down to the Net posts and by the northern edge, I saw one of Rob Wil's female Red- veined Darter and a Small Copper butterfly.

Meagre returns

A look around the Parks, the Oval, North Denes & Corton revealed little after work on Thursday 1st October. On Friday 2nd October, a briefly tame female Blackbird with white spots on her head was very tame by the entrance road to Corton OSW, but disappeared when I was retrieving the camera. On the Static caravan site immediately north of OSW were 5 Blackbirds, a dark continental Song Thrush and 2 Robins, almost certainly continental migrants. I tried looking in Broadland Sands camp site but could find neither a brown hut or a wooded copse, all I saw were lines of trees and certianly no YBWs revealed themselves to be either visually or verbally.

Poor views of the Vireo

On Wednesday 30th September, I travelled to Minsmere North bushes for the REV that had been spotted there the previous afternoon. It had been seen at 9.37am, I arrived there and in the middle of the bushes, I was joined by Carl B, Paul & Jane F. and at 1.35pm a mad scramble and a shout saying there it is and I spotted a bulky passerine, with olive green above and silky white underparts of the Red- eyed Vireo fly into a bush, the light was poor and I saw the shape of the Vireo but it was partially obscured and then it hopped out of view. Other people the other side had a much better view. Later on when we were joined by John H. and Mick we walked along the path to the beach and the bushes just east of the North bushes, Mick spotted it in a small Oak and we saw the shape of the bird very briefly before it flew low and left never to be seen again. Walking back I heard the brief 'tsuip' of a Yellow- browed Warbler and on the path to the North hide, I also heard a Marsh Tit, neither of these birds were seen though. I stayed until 4.30pm in the hope I would obtain better views but it was not be, I must have used up all my Vireo luck almost 35 years ago.

Grey Phalarope at Shingle Street

On Saturday 26th September, a Ring- necked Parakeet flew across the road from a park on the 30 m inutes walk from Ilford Tube to Gants Hill Travel Lodge. On the walk back on the 27th September, another Ring- necked Parakeet flew back across to the park. On the train just past and before M5, a flock of Fallow Deer were seen in a field. On the way down to Shingle Street, my first trip here since a Pied Wheatear was here on 19 October 2009 [see blogpost 20 Oct 2009!]. It's been too long since I last visited and I did an unecessary loop around Butley but I eventually arrived and parked up by the Shingle Street parking sign. Immediately ahead were the Battery Cottages and Coastguards cottage but I was very unsure where to go to locate the Pool where the Phalarope was, I am grtaeful to Jane F. and a local lady who gave precise direcxtions where to find it. The pool was not on the beach but heading south up to a Martello tower type home just before that was a wooded copse area and a public footpath was to the right marked going straight through the wooded copse, you were walking down and then turned left along the path, a raised bank and walking around 3/4 of a mile from where I parked the car I arrived at the Pool and instantly saw an immature Grey Phalarope. It was down a dyke and actively feeding barely 10-12 metres away.

Tarzan Diver!

Just after 12.30pm on Wed 23rd September, a tweet from Dale that he had a BT Diver close in by the caravan park, had me driving down to the Lowestoft North Denes/ North Beach, parking at the Swimming Pool Road car park opposite the Sparrow's Nest and walking down to the sea wall. An initial sweep of the sea revealed nothing, but a couple I met said that the Diver had swum north, so we; Rob H. and I walked north as we did so we met up with Paul & Jane. Jane spotted a reasonably close Red- throated Diver which flew south. Just before we got to the Link's Road car park, we saw a Diver close in on the sea, not a Black- throated, but a nice summer plumaged Red- throated Diver. I went onto the beach and only moved into position when the bird had dived. I managed a few pics but the bird was regularly feeding and diving regularly resurfacing tens of metres away at first swimming north and then south where it had swum really fast, even faster than the Tarzan actor Johnny Weissmuller who had been a multiple Gold medal winner at both the 1924 Paris and 1928 Amsterdam Olympics! Running on the sandy beach, (completely laden with old 500mm lens on my back and a scope and tripod, whilst trying to avoid obstacles such as with shards of rock from the old seawall, was both an exhausting hot and hazardous business, I was trying to keep up with fast swimming Diver! A look at Ness Point afterwards the sea was quiet and it only revealed an Oystercatcher, 2 Turnstone on the Jetty/finger.

At last a decent seawatch!

On Sunday 20th September, just after 5pm I drove to Ness Point, Andrew E., Rob H., and Jon B. were by the funnel seawatching, over the course of a near 2 hour watch I saw a total of 15 Sooty Shearwaters, some singles but groups of 3, 4 and 3 also seen. Also a fine Razorbill was seen half way out on the sea, then a second more distant Razorbill. A fine but distant black/ white Manx Shearwater also sheared over the sea and north, my first since 2021. A couple of Gannets flew north an adult and an immature. Also several Mediterranean Gulls, 2 adults and an immature plus 3 Sandwich Tern flying south. No sign of the Redstart for me.