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