Trip to Kessingland Beach

Mid afternoon on Sunday 17th August, I walked past Heathlands, walking down the path I briefly saw a fine male Southern Hawker fly past me and back again patrolling the lane, unfortunately he didn't settle. As I carefully made my way down the steps which I didn't realise had 2 missing steps near the bottom which I lost my balance and almost fell. So glad, I was only carryings bins around my neck and the Nikon camera was on the camera bag on my back. Walking top the North Pool which was fenced off, I saw a charming 'nursery' of around 60 Little Terns perched on the beach shoreline around 40 metres north of me. 1 or 2 adult Little Terns were flying in with little fish to feed the young and I kept well back so that they weren't disturbed. Although a walker disturbed them as he walked north along the beach they all streamed past me over the sea before settling again in much the same position. 2 immature Dunlins flew in and briefly settled on the beach, whilst walking back I saw a young Little Tern ahead of me, that flew and joined the nursery. Looking on the North Pool, I initially saw 2 Avocet and a bonus Greenshank feeding on the seaward side of the pool. Walking back past the roped off area, a Wheatear (my first of the autumn) flew up onto the post marking the edge of the roped off area, it aloowed a reasonably close approach and I managed a few pics with my Nikon camera. Walking back up the steps, I scanned from the bench and added a further 3 Avocets, totalling 5 in all, the Greenshank was still feeding by the primeter of the pool this time the west end and a few metres right of it was a Ringed Plover too. Not far from the bench I found a Fuji-film camera lens cap. All in all, a very pleasant trip out.

A second look at the Greenish Warbler at Ness Point

On Sunday 17th August by 8.30am, I was driving down to Ness Point, passing Rob H as he cycled away along the esplanade. At Ness Point, I finally saw the excellent immature Greenish Warbler in a small bush just behind the funnel and it flitted around the bush and I just missed getting pics and it flew behind the funnel but minutes later I had a second chance as it flew back to the bush and I managed to reel off around 40 shots of the bird, albeit through the fence and glada few came out. It then flew back to the bouy Tamarisks where it was again flitting around by the Tamarisk bushes before it flew way south into the former gas turbine yard, where it was seen flitting around th base of a Buddlea bush lining the fence to the Wind Turbine yard. On the ground by a Buddlea bush just west of the fence was a female type Black Redstart and another Black Redstart nearby on the fence too.

Greenish Warbler at Ness Point

On Saturday 16th August, Andrew E found a Greensih W at Ness Point at 1.32pm and I picked up the text almost an hour ago late. By the time I arrived at Ness Point, I parked up and walked through the gate at Ness point car park. All the usual crowd were there Paul & Jane F, James B, Andrew E, Rob Wil etc but the bird had gone missing. After half an hour it was seen by the Tamarisks, the excellent Immature Greenish Warbler near Birds Eye and on the ground by a small bush before it flew through the Tamarisks and was then seen the south side nwhere it was near a bush but then flew down to some vegetation down a fenced alleyway. It then flew beyond the fence where i was standing barely 20 foot away, it was seen on some vegetation and I got a close pic through the fence as it hoipped down to the ground, it then switched to an area a few feet away behind a double fence, I just enjoyed really close views but no chance of photographing it as it flitting around the ground here for 2 minutes. It then flew north and spent most of the time by Tamarisks and the ground near a yellow/ black buoy lieing on its side. Typically it was flit around the Tamarisks often by the bare branch stems and then bvisits to the ground by the buoy base or just 40 foot west of there by a clump of yellow flowers.

North Beach blues again

On Friday the 15th August, I parked up at Links road car park, the groynes had no Terns on them and just 2 Common Terns flying around. 2 Stock Dove flew onto the beach and walked around the tideline. Nothing further along or at Ness Point other than loan of immature herring Gulls and the occasional adult flying in to feed them.

No Ternfest for me

On Wednesday 13th August, I checked the North Beach, there were around 30 Common terns flying around (none one the groynes), they had just flown off the groynes and flew off.

Back at the Stork again!

On Sunday 10th August, again I got up really early and drove back down to Boyton again for the Stork, the bird was feeding in stubble in the ditch and showing well.

North Beach Blues

On Tuesday 5th August, I walked along the North Beach, they were only 2 Common Terns the far end of 1 groyne and around 30 Common Terns flying further out, no Arctics seen.

Bedstraw Hawkmoth at Hemsby

On Monday 4th August, John H rang me to say he had trapped a Bedstraw Hawkmoth the previous night and I was welcome to photo it before he released it the following night. I drove over and the Moth was calm whilst perched to the eggbox but putting it on a more natural setting a log caused its wings to flap quiclkly causing motion blur and it flew off!

Mega FTW at Walberswick

On Saturday 3rd August, a mega alert for a Zitting Cisticola or Fan-tailed Warbler found by Walberwick at the Corporation Marshes, around 800 yards south of the Harbour in Buckthorn clump had me within 30 minutes picking up James Wright and we were heading down to the App pay car park at Walberwick beach, only problem was I had the app but there was no signal to pay. Fortunately a very kind birder from Saxmundham who I have met before but sadly don't know his name, paid for me with the app on his phone and I paid him £4 cash. This is a real major problem for me as I effectively can't use this car park. We walked along the beach, where typically Paul & Jane were just ahead of us and James B, Andrew E and Robery Wil plus David W were all their in group huddled at the top of the coastal walk path over looking the reedbed, some dykes and the large buckthorn patch. After about 20 minutes I could hear the distinctive zip-zip-zip of the Fan-tailed Warbler but I couldn't locate it flying high in the sky, my eyesight isn't as good as it was and I struggle to see tiny dots in the sky. However James W had picked it up and brilliantly described which part of the sky it was, in this case blue sky and I picked up this fantastic bird. Everyu 10- 20 minutes it repeated this pattern first flying 300 yards south and then back 300 yards north. One time it even perched on the extreme northern end of the Buckthorn patch and I scoped it and noted the streaky back with short tail, which was also seen as being short and fanned in flight. Hence it's old name. Walking back a fine juvenile Dunling huddled on the pebbly beach and I was able to get a few shots of that.

Southwold bug

On August at Southwold, College friends from 40 years ago were visiting from Australia and I took them to the Pier at Southwold and we were having an icecream on one of the benches near the pier when I saw a Long-winged Conehead

on the bench.

Back to the Stork

Very early on Wednesday morning, the 31st July, I went back for the Stork arriving there around 6pm, it took me until 6.40pm to reach the 3 people there and immediately I saw the fine immature Black Stork in a field beyond the dyke. It was sunny. The bird had been closer in the dyke but it was walking around in the field feeding. After about twenty minutes it flew away but towards the dyke further along. So I walked to the gate between the dykes denoting the start of the public footpath back to the farm. Amazingly the bir was barely twenty feet awat from by the dyke edge just the other side of the gate. I abandoned the Canon lens temporarily and armed with my much more portable Nikon 500mm lens I took pictures of the bird showing just the head and shoulders! The sun came out and briefly lit the bird nicely before it slowly walked back along the nearside of the dyke but away from us feeding as it walked. It then walked down to the far end of the dyke we had some great views albeit the sun had been enveloped by cloud.

Elusive Black stork

On Monday 28th July in the evening I travelled down to Banters Barn Boyton RSPB and parked up at 7.20pm and I saw Rene B and he told me the bird was in the dyke but there was a mile and a half walk to reack it, as I took the path to the seawall path turning right I later saw Matthew D who said it was still there but it was by the seaward side of the scrub and couldn't currently been seen from the seawall path. I joined 3 people but it was currently hidden by a bush along the near side. It spent the entire time here and when a chap walked down the public footpath by the gate and the trespassed onto the farmer's field he spotted and was taking pictures of the bird bathed in the golden glow of the evening light (I presume) this was incredibly frustrating as I wasn't going to trespass but later on as he left, at 9.08pm I saw the immature Black Stork fly down the dyke.

Brown hawker and 7 Migrant Hawkers in the garden

On On Sunday 27th July, I amazingly saw a Brown Hawker and 7 Migrant Hawkers flying around the garden around midday.

Southern Hawker & Ant Lion on the heath

On Saturday 26th July, a female type Southern Hawker flew down and sheltered under leaves of the garden bay tree bush at 12.25pm following a rain squall, as the weather cleared up I ventured out with my lens but it quickly flew off down the passgeway so no picture again. Following this I went around Nick B's at Gunton, he had rung me on Friday to say he had rescued an adult Ant Lion off the Heath after cutting bracken, the only problem was I was at Latitude at the time. Fortunately, he kept it overnight and in the early afternoon I called around to see Nick B and drove him back to the Heath where he released the adult Ant Lion, I managed a few pics as it was nicely settled on bracken.