Saturday 6 April 2019

Elusive Bluethroat at Herringfleet Marshes

On Saturday 6th April, feeling very much under the weather with a streaming cold, I finally managed to overcome my lethargy and at 3.30pm I was at Herringfleet Marshes having parked in my secret spot and walking up to the spot half way between the pub and Smock's Mill and a group of birders around 5 were leaving they had just seen it and it had flown down the path, typical! An hour and a half later still nothing and all the birders left. At 5.40pm just after the last birder had left, I saw a bird with chestnut outer-tail feathers fly down the mowed bit between the path and the ditch, clearly this was the White- spotted Bluethroat, only problem was I couldn't re-find it, it had appeared to land in the mown bit between the path and the reeds but I couldn't see it. Exactly an hour later at 6.40-6.42pm, it was seen moving quickly around the mown area, just 30 yards south of the first wet puddle area and this time I could clearly see it the blue on the breast and the tiny white spot in the middle before flying back into the reeds behind the mown area and it was not seen again. It was very misty and with wet missle most of the time, so the only other birds I saw were Teal, Little Egret and 3 Reed Buntings by the reeds and a Chinese Water Deer was further down the track as I walked back. I spent 2.5 hours there and saw the bird for 2.2 minutes. Chiff- Chaff also heard. Driving along the road just before almost passing Somerleyton Hall I almost ran over a Hare but my prompt reaction and quick braking enabled me to avoid it, and it ran over to the wall.

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