Black- faced Bunting at Warham Greens

On Tuesday 10th November, I took A/L and picked up James W. at 7.30am to drive up to Stiffkey Saltmarshes car park (the same one where the Rufous Bushchat was seen). Driving up a large flock of Pink- feet seen on the side of the road must be several hundred (couldn't count as I was driving!) Arriving there were a few parking spaces and we walked a mile west, following past the whirley-gig, concrete surrounds of the former defence battery re: WW2. Whilst walking down saw several groups of Brent Geese and a few small groups of Pink- feet flying too. Initially we saw a group of people c15 looking at low bushes (we had arrived here at 9.40am but when an alert went off stating that the BFB had been seen in the usual bushes at 9.50am we knew we were in the wrong place. We carried on walking and reached a field with 2 big bramble/ elderberry bushes. We waited here for almost 2 hours where bird seen in these bushes were a Robin, 3 Dunnock and 3 Greenfinches. With Male Kestrel, female Marsh Harrier and Red Kite seen too. The bushes were a third of the way past the whirly gig and a mile west of the car park. at 11.45am, James announced he had the bird he had seen the bunting flew from the sueda and low over the grass and dive into the bush, I saw a greyish bird flutter in the middle of the right hand bush then disappear deep into the bush, fortunately about a minute later it hopped out and settled on bare branches on the left hand side of the bush. Although it was slightly obscured by one bare breanch in front of it, noting the drab appearance of this Bunting, the following ID features stood out and were instantly looked for and checked out! It had a distinctive side grey nape shawl, striking creamy- yellow malar stripe and pink legs proved this was the excellent 1st winter Black- faced Bunting. It's tail was fanned but white outer-tail feather noted on the lowest tail feather. It was especially good to catch up with a late arriving and former Suffolk birder Lee G. who now reside in North Wales but does twitch for the mega rarities. A new British tick and new for Norfolk too. Even though the sun had gone in I managed a few shots of this bird, and managed to view it in the scope too, letting James have a look as I took pics, it showed for around 5 minutes before it flew back to the sueda and not seen again. It only showed twice today so we were really lucky to get this view for 5 minutes perched up. On the walk back, we saw a Red Kite fly over the saltmarsh and 2 Red Kites flew low over the road (A148) on the wayback, eyeing some road kill.

Gunton then Crop Shop Alley & Feather Thorn

On Saturday 7th November, I looked around Gunton and walked to the south-west corner of Corton Woods, where I saw a flock of at least 5 Siskins and a Redpoll species (seen for a split second only) feeding but unfortunately they were flushed by a dog walker. I saw Rob H. who said Andrew E. had a Pallas' at Crop Shop Alley, looking from the Fence I wasn't seeing anything but Rob Wil. had just seen it so I walked around to the alley and eventually I saw the Pallas's Warbler feeding in the sycamore being rather sedate Andrew joined me and we enjoyed some prolonged views of the super Siberian sprite feeding. On Sunday I went around all of Corton and saw very little, save for a Great- spotted Woodpecker just west of Corton OSW. On Monday 8th November, at The James Paget hospital, a Feathered Thorn moth was seen perched about 4 foot up half way along the south wall of the Education and Training centre, around 9am in the morning.

Scandinavian Thrushes

On Wednesday 4th November, as I walked into the Burrage Centre at James Paget Hospital, just before 8.30am, 4 calling Redwings flew past and very low just skimming over the top of the Conservatory, I assume inbound migrants and they flew in a south-easterly direction. Later on when I left work at 2.30pm, I saw a Fieldfare briefly perched on the ground just west of the cafe at Dip Farm, it flew to the trees near the Marsh / Orchid area. At Corton OSW, 2 adult winter Mediterranean Gulls flew east, over the compound, I saw a Pipit fly up from a grassy field, just east of the compound, assuming it was a Meadow Pipit and on further investigation it was! The light was now going so I made my way back to Corton Churchyard where 3 Long- tailed Tits and 2 Blue Tits seen in the hedge by the car park.

Afternoon in the garden

On Sunday 1st November, whilst cutting bushes and trees back in the back garden, I heard the following species but none were seen, Grey Wagtail, Siskin and several 3-4 Redwings before dark and several 3-4 Redwings after dusk too.

Humes saves the day

On Saturday 31st October, I was parking up early at kessingland Beach car park, I walked to the north beach and wasn't early enough as not only did I miss the Desert Wheatear that had turned up the previous afternoon but I saw a small crowd of birders but the bird they were watching flew before I got there, the mega elusive Lapland that again for the fourth time I missed. I hen drove to Souhwold Churchyard arrived there 10.30pm, after almost 2 hours I was about to give up, but Paul & Jane F. arrived they usually see the birds so I decied to stay and within 20 minutes the bird was seen as it appeared in the very large sycamore just north of the Church, initially a Goldcrest was seen but then a fine Humes Warbler popped up in the middle of the tree near the top of the tree. The cream supercilia and wingbar were clearly seen. It flitted about in this tree for a further 10 minutes or so giving further views before flying and calling to trees going further west along the churchyard route, first one tree and then another before it flew to bushes on the western edge of the churchyard seen flitting about and then seen around four times in a Silver birch type tree where was seen resonably well on four occasions. Next a look around Easton bavents failed to turn anything up save for a Goldcrest in the North road bushes as well as a calling Green Woodpecker and 4 Robins at the Bavents.

Birds in the mist

On Friday 30th October, as I was walking into work 2 Greylag Geese called in the mist and flew north - east over the car park, mid afternoon, I heard Long- tailed Tits and saw 3 delightful birds flying by the small trees planted by the Decant Ward and then west.

What a cracker!

On Sunday 25th October, an early start was in order as Rob H. had kindly offered to give me a lift up to Mundesley in North Norfolk for the Nutcracker. The Nutcracker is a denizen of Coniferous Pine forests and occasional irruptions occur due to a severe lack of food or because of population explosions. The last major one which led to multiple arrivals in the UK was way back in 1968! Typically they feed on Pine seeds and Hazels. The distribution of this intelligent member of the crow family is spread across the globe from in the west Scandinavia (where they are represented by the thick- billed race, across Europe, Siberia and even Japan. The irruptive ones are the Siberian slender billed ones, native to the Taiga forests of Siberia. Rob arrived at the house at 6am (GMT) following the hour change. As we were passing Ormesby St. Margaret, rather bizarrely, we saw a very young fawn Muntjac deer with spots on its back (meaning it was up to 2 months old) running around the middle of the road in circles. Rob stopped the car on hazard lights and ran out to rescue it but its strength meant it leapt out of his arms and continued to run in circles in the middle of the road. I popped out and managed with difficulty to herd it to the side of the road, Rob aided me and we finally managed to see it go onto the verge. This ultimately succeeded as we didn't see it as a road casualty when we drove back. We arrived at Mundesley just as the sun was starting to rise and the cars were all again parked along Trunch Road with the birders gathered by the garden we drove onto a side road and parked down there and walked the half mile back but Rob was jogging along and as we reached the garden nobody was there, Rob was disappearing into the distance, I had no signal on my phone to find out any updated BirdGuides message but obviously the bird had relocated elsewhere, by the school I bumped into another birder who said as he just drove in he saw all the birders running down another lane, Water Lane (Rob had kindly texted me this too) so I quickly walked down the lane and in a small wooded copse area, a group of birders were all looking in the same spot, half way up a horse chestnut tree perched the excellent Northern Slender- billed Nutcracker! As soon as I saw it, it instantly flew right. It flew into a meadow area and around 300 birders were here, it flew up into a tree and excellent views were obtained of the Nutcracker was seen here. Crow sized with chocolate brown plumage, with a longer dark bill. It sported a dark cap, with gorgeous chocolate brown plumage spangled with white pear drop sized spots all over its plumage. The lores between the eye and the base of the bill were white. It had a white vent with white undertail coverts and striking white rear crescents on the base of the long tail with black wings, a very striking bird! perched half way up, it then flew into a Pine and perched here too, before flying onto the ground and catching and devouring a wasp! It then flew to the trees by Water Lane and I had the bird barely 4 feet away but photos were too dark sadly, as I had adjusted the exposure too late, sadly. It then flew back to the trees by the meadow, catching the odd Wasp and feeding from the Pine cones. It then flew down to the ground and was feeding on another wasp on the ground. Before it then flew up to a house and perched on the wall, the fence, the roof top and side gable. It caught wasps from here too. Later on it flew back to the trees by the side of the meadow. To paraphrase the late great comedian Frank Carson, "it's a cracker!" and rarity of the year.