Oulton Marsh, Suffolk.

Seeing that the GLOSSY IBIS has been hanging around for a while I thought that I had better go and have a look. Not my first for Suffolk but for Lounge Lizard Land it is. I first picked the bird up amongst a flock of ROOKS and followed it to landing , where it sat fair way off on the marsh in front of platform. Other birders there had it in view and in real terms it was not difficult to fix on.

What was of interest was that behind us was a out of season CHIFFCHAFF which had taken to flitting amongst the read a sedge. Managed a good fix on it and although very grey in my opinion a (Collybita) but it did have significant plumage variation in that it was  pale brown on upper and very dull. Its long eye line strip was significant and for all intents and purposes it could well have been a (tristis) Also it was unusual in jizz in that it was very low to the ground and would often land on the mud.  Its call was not as it should have been for a tristis. Nothing like a Bullfinch call. Just like the other on the other day in in the garden. Which in summing up makes it a  first winter bird. Surprise, surprise. A Siberian chiffchaff has been confirmed in the exact place on January 14th 2014



 

Its that time of the year

Not right up to date but on December 21st I heard calling from the garden an odd one. I was proved right by my initial response in that it turned out to be just the usual CHIFFCHAFF. Mind you it did have some odd characteristics. But nothing that would make it recognisably a Siberian. It was to my way of thinking a bit of a cross over though so in its own right a good bird to view. It was an odd day in that I also had a BLACKBIRD which was very dark billed and a large bill as well. In that I have seen these before it was obviously a Bavarian type bird which again is of interest. These bird just show up and for all of us they are of significance. Another surprise was that I had a bumble bee decide to fly over the garden, he to was a big brute of a thing. So perhaps a female looking for somewhere to escape for the winter.

SO TO ALL OF YOU IN THE BIRDING WORLD MAY YOU FLY WELL THIS CHRISTMAS AND IN THE NEW YEAR

All three pic's taken in the winter of 1964. They are of Malting Green Road, Layer-de-la-Haye, Friday Woods and Abberton reservoir from our bedroom window.

 

 



Pakefield Beach,

Although this record does not apply to today I did catch up with a massive flock of COMMON SCOTER last Saturday of Gorlston south beach. My estimate which was made low at the time for the simple reason who can really tell how many birds there where was 300 plus. Others have placed it around 800 and I would not be at all surprised at that.

Today however just a short walk in brought a flock of SNOW BUNTING what lovely birds. There was 43 in all according to photo's that cant lie. Believe it if you like. But the surprise was that one bird was colour ringed as can be see by the picture below. So reported it in to see what goes. There where also 7 MED GULLS a single PIED WAG, HOUSE SPARROWS,B-H-GULL,G-B-B-GULL,HERRING GULL and the best was a single KITTIWAKE which just liked sitting behind an angling boat waiting to be fed. COMMON SCOTER offshore as was 2 CORMORANT and RED-THROATED-DIVERS heading north.