March 26th, 2013

The temperature was a constant 0°C as I traveled towards Ipswich dreaming that a late March Alpine Swift or the first Wheatear would be waiting for me in Lowestoft on the return journey.

When news did break it re-affirmed that we were still well and truly stuck in winter. None the less, this news was very welcome and I didn't hesitate in going straight to Lound Lakes to see a sleeping redhead Goosander.

March 24th, 2013

Another day that will be remembered for its biting easterly wind that sent waves crashing against the Ness Point rock revetments covering all and sundry in sea spray!

An immature Shag that was being chased by a Herring Gull and 3 northbound Fulmar were meagre offerings from the sea.

However, I was determined that the wind was not going to get the better of me so went to Carlton Marshes for a stint at one of the more exposed sites in the area. Thirty minutes later I bowed to the cold and scampered back to the car having seen 17 Fieldfare, 12 Dunlin, Snipe, Buzzard, and a Little Egret.

Having wracked my brain desperately trying to think of somewhere sheltered I went for a wander around Kessingland. The sewage works was indeed sheltered and harboured a solitary White Wagtail amongst 41 Pied, 1 Grey Wagtail and 2 Chiffchaff.

The sluice, on the other hand, was perishing and I saw nothing more than the tops of my shoes as I trudged around dejectedly. Actually, I did see one bird, a hybrid Hooded/Carrion crow, with which I exchanged a glance; I’m sure we were thinking the same thing, but I won’t repeat what I think the crow exclaimed!

Even in the worst of conditions some birds never fail to lift the spirits and 10 Little Gull at Ness Point certainly ended the days birding on a real high. I look forward to seeing them return in July where hopefully one or two might just spend an evening or two along Lowestoft North Beach. Shorts and t-shirt weather is all but a distant dream at present though!

March 23rd, 2013

Different weekend but same old weather! Three Fulmars made the most of the cold, blustery conditions as they wheeled their way north. An hour passed with little else of note before an ASDA breakfast became too much of a temptation!

Re-energized and most importantly warm I escaped the onshore gales and opted for Carlton Marshes where miraculously the Little Owl was staring back at me from the comfort of its derelict cottage. Yippee!

Fourteen Reed Buntings fed at the base of the grain silos but there were no Yellowhammers to be seen. I have no idea where I’ll see this species on the patch. Unheard of not so long ago!

By the time I reached the scrape the cold had penetrated the many layers. The following were noted before I made a hasty retreat back to the car: 12 Dunlin flew in, 2 Canada Geese, 5 Pied Wagtail, Little Egret, Buzzard, and 21 stunning Fieldfare looked as alert as they hopped around the horse paddocks.

A Bar-tailed Godwit that flew over Kessingland sewage works was a pleasant surprise whilst the filter beds held the usual suspects of 2 Chiffchaff, 41 Pied, 1 White, and 1 Grey Wagtail.

The Sluice was absolutely hideous as the driving easterly wind and sleet made birding impossible. The only bird seen was a hybrid Carrion/Hooded Crow. Once again I hot-foot it back to car!

Peter Ransome had found a Little Gull at Ness Point earlier and as the day progressed their numbers built up. When I arrived at mid-day 10 were feeding close to the rocks. The views were amazing but it didn't take long for any optics to get covered in sea spray as the waves crashed against the sea defences.

Links Hill was slightly less bleak and a further four Little Gulls were enjoyed for a more prolonged period that this species warrants.

March 15th-17th, 2013

With a less that promising weather forecast for the weekend I decided to spend an hour at dusk at Carlton Marshes. When I arrived at the scrape Paul, Jane and Steve P were watching 3 White Wagtails, which remained until Sunday, in the company of 17 Pied Wagtails. A smart male Marsh Harrier drifted past as we returned to the cars just in time to avoid a soaking.

As has been par for the course on many days this year seawatching seemed the sensible option given the windy conditions. And as with most watches this year similar species made it into the notebook: Red-throated Diver, lots of Gannets, 4 Great Crested Grebe, Ringed Plover, and 15 Dunlin. Two drake Pochard south on Sunday morning were a pleasant surprise though.

409 Lapwing were counted on Peto’s Marsh, Carlton on Sunday afternoon, although many more were present in the distance. A pipit picking around on the scrape proved too distant to be confidently identified as Water, although I had my suspicions it was indeed this species. I left hoping for some warmer weather in the imminent future!

March 9th-10th, 2013

A bitterly cold northerly blow was enough to deter any meaningful birding away from the sea this weekend. And so Ness Point it was; or rather just south of at the old coastguard car park.

The visibility wasn’t great but it was apparent that many Gannets were moving north, along with the odd Red-throated Diver and a selection of waders. Highlights included a solitary Curlew, 10 Oystercatcher, and 8 Bar-tailed Godwit.

The same day Cap Griz Nes in NW France recorded 3865 Little Gulls and 241 Sandwich Tern. Surely there was a chance of a Little Gull on the 10^th?

Once again it was bitterly cold but with improved visibility we could see large numbers of Gannets were again passing north; 551 were counted along with 9 Fulmar. Waders were in short supply with a single Bar-tailed Godwit and 3 Oystercatcher the only birds of note.

For a couple of brief minutes a Sandwich Tern battling  against the wind reminded us that this was spring and we weren’t stuck in the depths of winter. This is by far the earliest Sandwich Tern I have seen; in fact I believe it is only a couple of days after Suffolk’s record on March 7^th a few years back.

However, the tern wasn’t the biggest surprise of the day this accolade went to seeing @cortonbirds taking a break from his busy work schedule to squeeze in a 30 minute watch, thus illustrating that listing does indeed get you out in the field, albeit for 30 minutes once a month ;-)

Just as we were about to forgo the sea and head for a much needed cup of tea a cracking drake Red-breasted Merganser flew north at speed.

The weather eventually got the better of me, but before heading home I did stop to enjoy the Waxwings at Raglan Street; 60 in total lined the telephone wires and each was an absolute beauty. When do you ever see a dull Waxwing? They are one of the joys of the winter!

March 2nd-3rd, 2013

Along with Robert Wincup, I decided to spend Saturday/Sunday mornings at Breydon Water in search of the Green-winged Teal that had re-appeared at the western end on Thursday.

A brief stop at Lound Lakes proved well worthwhile as we enjoyed brilliant views of a Bittern close to the main causeway along with two Barnacle Geese.

We walked from Burgh Castle to the South Flats on Saturday but failed to find the GwTeal despite checking hundreds of Eurasian Teal. However, the birdwatching was fabulous and we enjoyed great views of 3 Spotted Redshank, Short-eared Owl, Peregrine, c400 Avocet, Rough-legged Buzzard (on Haddiscoe) as well as a good selection of commoner waders.

The undoubted highlight was the easterly exodus of Bewick’s Swans. Many people were reporting large groups heading east over Beccles, Wrentham, Sotterley, Pakefield and luckily for us Breydon. Flocks of 177, 103 and 8 passed overhead, with some landing on the estuary itself. Beautiful as always!

On Sunday we parked near the rugby club and walked west to check the teal flocks on the South Flats where many had been feeding the day before. Once again we couldn't find the GwTeal but did have further flocks of 29, 56 and 1 Bewick’s overhead. Somewhat bizarrely a lone Barnacle Goose accompanied the flock of 56 and showed no intention of peeling away!

Bird of the morning was the regular female Merlin which was frequenting gate around Humblestone Farm.

At mid-day I had a group of 20 Waxwing fly south along Sussex Road.

With the sun breaking through I went to Carlton Marshes where the best bird turned out to be a Red-legged Partridge; a very useful patch challenge bird!

February 19th, 2013

The sausages were sizzling when Jon Gibbs Tweeted news of two Avocet swimming around on Oulton Broad; this was patch gold! The sausages were cooked and consumed in record time!

The road was closed leading to Broadland Holiday Village so I risked parking in Everett’s Park; it was a calculated risk as I've never seen a traffic warden here in 24 years birding (you know what’s coming!).

I met up with Jane and enjoyed some nice, albeit distant views of the Avocets which were still swimming around an hour or so after Jon had found them. Not wanting to linger we decided to make haste. As we turned the corner there, to my horror, was a gentleman starring intently at the registration, his finger hovering over the keypad about to hit the button that would cost me £70. Arghhhhhhhhh!

After an initial panicked cry and a few pleasantries I avoided a ticket, It seemed my luck was in!

We collected Jack Wylson and ventured out to Waveney Forest for another spell of raptor watching. It was a pleasantly mild evening with very little wind.

The Rough-legged Buzzard was easily located on distant gate posts and for once it was pretty active flying to-and-fro different posts. Suddenly, it flew south and over a gate, then over a second gate, and another... this was strange; it never flies this far! As we tracked it, it gained height and briefly sparred with a second Rough-legged Buzzard! Even though two had been seen this was the first time I’d seen both. This was utterly brilliant!

As we celebrated the spectacle of two Rough-legs with brioche and coffee the familiar trill of Waxwings cascaded from above. About 35 were seen, presumably the same flock seen previously, an inevitability in fact.

During our vigil 13 Marsh Harriers flew north to roost, a Short-eared Owl quartered the marshes opposite, and a Little Egret gave a close fly-past, 12 Chinese Water Deer were counted, two Green Sandpipers flew over calling, and a magnificent Bittern flew towards Toft Monks Mill before crash landing in the reedbed.

In the fading light we started to take turns on Rough-leg watch so as to know exactly where it was when it finally decided to head in to roost. It duly obliged well before sunset being lost to view over the nearest pines. Often when heading to roost it may be nothing more than a silhouette but on evening s such as this watching one disappear over the Waveney Forest is a joy to behold. It was just the ticket!