Links Hil and Home

Still a recurring cold and I will be glad for the sun.

Links Hill:  Nothing offshore but gulls are still the thing to see. With four MED GULLS and one rung with white and black lettering with 32E2. Picked up on this bird last year so still with us. Three COMMON GULL and BLACK HEADED with just three HERRING GULL.
Home:  Went down the garden with live meal worms and was bombed out by a single CHIFFCHAFF which flew past my face and landed in the rose bush beside me. Good view at 4 feet. But very late for here as most years they over winter even in the garden.

Leathes Ham, Lowestoft.

Dull, and what can you say the sun came out.

Best bird was two KINGFISHER which flew around and the only bird to settle was well hidden.  Also 53 GADWALL and 27 PINTAIL two DABCHICK. the usual birds other than that.

Burgh Castle and Somerlyton.

Overcast day but wind dropped away.

Breydon Water, Burgh Castle: Far side of Breydon MARSH HARRIER 2 and a single COMMON BUZZARD. also a fly by MEADOW PIPIT and several flocks of CURLEW and BLACK TAILED GODWIT. Also a BARN OWL hunting low over Halvergate Island. On this side TEAL, MALLARD, GADWALL, LITTLE EGERET, and a pair of CURLEW.
Green Lane, Somerlyton:  At Green Farm seven YELLOWHAMMER sifting through the straw from the horses with CHAFFINCH. The best bird here was a single GREEN WOODPECKER and also a COMMON BUZZARD was calling well before flying North.

Ness Point and Links Hill, Lowestoft.

Gale blowing from the South West with 100mph winds up the channel, here blustery.

Ness Point:    Plenty of   KITTIWAKE offshore with birds running up and down the coast, numbers hard to tell but must have run into 200 or more. Three RED-THROATED-DIVER heading North  with eleven GANNET heading the same way. Also  seven CORMORANT with some as (Sinises) Only one PURPLE SANDPIPER on the outlet and few fly through TURNSTONE.
The local rung HERRING GULL fancied his breakfast at Tiffanies.

Links Hill:    There was four MED GULLS in varying stages of plumage. Also a BLACK HEADED GULL coming into summer plumage. Other than that just two MAGPIE.

 

Marsh Lane, On to marsh.

Wind with a chill from the West with inter sun.

Near level crossing several small birds flitting about with 7 GOLDFINCH, 5 CHIFFCHAFF which were making up to each other, spring is in the air?, LONG TAILED, COAL, BLUE, GREAT TIT, CHAFFINJCH, WREN, ROBIN and one GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER. A single JAY put in a brief appearance and a KESTREL the first of three for the walk. BLACKBIRDS in good numbers with at least 12 birds in all.
On the marsh 7 MUTE SWAN, 1 SKYLARK, 1 MEADOW PIPIT and a surprise KINGFISHER which flew out of a dyke right beside me. The only large raptor was a COMMON BUZZARD which flew well over Castle Marsh. Also a flock of MURE SWAN lifted off with seven birds in all. I also had a fly by GREY WAGTAIL and a BARN OWL hunting close to the wood and eventually flying into it.

 

Loathingland Lake, Lowestoft.

At last I feel as if I have got ride of this old cold that has hung around since last November. So a small excursion out but no walking yet. So of to see the two PEREGRINES on the silo. Birds are obviously not that friendly yet but she has been sailing around with a few tumbles over the last few days and putting on a turn of speed. As for him he is already feeding her. But the size difference is amazing when you see them side by side as in this picture. One of the photo's shows the bird with a ring on which I understand identifies it as a bird from the London area.
The other bird of significance is the long wintering GUILLEMOT  which has moved down river towards Asda.