Home, Oval, Corton O,S,W, and Pathways.

Bright with inter cloud.

Sat outside as I had my breakfast and had a fly through PEREGRINE and then a real surprise as I caught site of a very small warbler fell out of the sky and into the Buddleia. I expected it to be a goldcrest, but as it flitted through it was obvious that this was not the case. It then called and shew itself through the bins it was a YELLOW BROWED WARBLER. Rather a late move on bird and only my second for the garden. But a good bird for the garden at any time of the year. It was gone in one minuet and flew of North.

Oval:  A call in and it produced 3 YELLOW WAGTAIL and not much else.

C.O.S.W.:  Walk out onto the cliff gave me my first NORTHERN WHEATEAR there being 3 male and one female in the field to right of track. Also 1 MEADOW PIPIT, 10 SAND MARTIN a pair of OYSTERCATHCHER. 1 BLACKCAP, 1 WILLOW WARBLER, 1 GREEN WOODPECKER.

Pathways:  Regular call in today which gave four BLACKCAPS and also a first for the lake in a COMMON SANDPIPER. One of the young Mute Swans was rescued by the RSPCA last week as is making a good recovery. SAND MARTINS here with 3 birds. CHIFFCHAFF, TUFTED DUCK, MALLARD, LITTLE GREBE, GREENFINCH, ROBIN, WREN. 

          Common Sand                                                               Blackcap

Home and Lound Lakes

This was a spring day and about time to.

Started with BLACK REDSTART in the garden, lovely birds as both are still feeding well on live meal worms. They fight on arrival but seem to soon sort themselves out. Also PERIGRINE sorting themselves out over silo.

Lound Lakes: Several CHIFFCHAFF and 3 BLACKCAP sing well, but also 2 singing WHITETHROAT and WILLOW WARBLER. A SWALLOW was skimming for flies and GREY HERON flew in. 

Pathways and Oulton Marsh

Bright with a light South West breeze.

Pathways: At 23 species in less than an hour is not bad for any site, but the best was three male BLACKCAPS competing in song. Also a pair of CHIFFCHAFF. But the sad news is that I would think the KINGFISHER nest has failed as water is at the hole. A single TUFTED on the lake and LITTLE GREBE up by one to 5. All young MUTE SWANS have now left and adults are nest building this morning.
Oulton Marsh: Best here was three GREEN WOODPECKER which seem to be competing either for nesting area or between themselves for obvious reasons. I assume the latter. One of them was playing hide and seek with me and would move round according to my position of rotation in reference to him. It is also great to here BLACKCAP with one singing very strongly near his female. My first WILLOW WARBLER of the year saw me with a count of four birds in all. I also had a single GRASSHOPPER WARBLER which although reeling well was as usual unseen. A REED BUNTING  put in an apperance and as a male how great. The sad reflection here is there are no singing CEETI'S WARBLER.

         

Home,

Rather foggy today, with the sound of the fog horn driving anyone mad. Mind you if it was the one at Cape Wrath you would all be deaf.

Worked in the garden today and guess who turned up.BLACK REDSTART, Both birds coming in but this was the best I could do. There is always the encouragement of a few live meal worms which do the trick every time.

Carlton Marsh, Oulton Broad, Suffolk.

I stood for 4 hours yesterday until I was frawn and again today which was not so bad. But it was not until setting back that Rene put out that he was watching the bird at South West end. A few minuets latter I caught sight of two Bittern flying towards me well of over Share Marsh. The one on the right was obviously smaller than the other. I called out did anyone else get that and a guy further along said he had and had seen them turn to there left an drop in. He said he saw the right one with black wing so this was it. AMERICAN BITTERN on the life list.
Also first two SWALLOWS for the year and two SNIPE over. Also a very obliging male REED BUNTING and 2 CETTI'S WARBLER calling. SHOVELORE, 3 MARSH HARRIER, 2 COMMON BUZZARD, GREY HERON.

                                                     Believe it or not this is a SNIPE

Gorleston and home.

Family day out at Gorleston gave a surprise when a BRENT GOOSE came North along he foreshore and without any hesitation just turned inland and came right in front of us heading up and over.
The other surprise was a  pair of BLACK REDSTART'S  flying through the garden, they were obviously very interested in each other and after some engagement they sat a meter away from each other. Later in the evening I could here one calling and after 10 minuets it flew onto the bird table only to take a live meal worm and shoot of with it.

Pathways, Lowestoft.

Hazy but slightly warmer this am.

There was no surprise really but at least I was able to get my first BLACKCAP of the year. Also two singing CHIFFCHAFF and three of the MUTE SWANS have flown, but one of them seems rather disconsolate and is rather isolated to say the least. Other than a COMMON BUZZARD floated over. 

Corton Old Sewage Works and Lound Lakes

The day continued to brighten up but with a chill from the North.

Best bird today was undoubtedly the BLACK REDSTART which was wire sitting. It had been calling of and on but it took James to locate it for me. SKYLARK came in at only 3 which is really low for here. But a large flock of 30 Goldfinch was good to see. Also the COMMON BUZZARD  kept on circling overhead. A pair of OYSTERCATCHER were on aflooded pool nearby and 7 WHITE WAGTAIL on the same opposite the church.

Hopton:  On a recently ploughed field to the West of Hopton three COMMON BUZZARD were sorting themselves out for breeding. Also 3 WHITE WAGTAILS.

Lound Lakes:   Just one calling CHIFFCHAFF and two GREEN WOODPECKER. But for the third time in four days I have seen a LONG TAILED TIT with a feather in its mouth seeking out a nesting site and being followed by its partner. Odd behaviour but obviously idiosyncratic. 

North Dene's.

First walk of the year round the Dene's on an overcast day.

Best was a CHIFFCHAFF one of two. The first one was still with the early winter calling bird with the peeee. The other was the new fresh bird with the general Chiff Chaff call. Also 7 LINNET and a pair of LONG TAILED TIT with him being chased by the female with a feather in his mouth. This is the second time I have seen this activity in a week. Obviously looking for a nesting site.

Leathe's Ham and Pathways.

Leathe's Ham:  After a near miss yesterday while being out and no tweet coming through about the PENDULINE TIT at Leath's Ham. Well done to (@Leostof ) At least I did not get wet while watching the bird. On arrival it had been seen some 10 minuets earlier, so there was a chance. After a short time while standing with John E, I hard it all. Turned to John and he agreed by making hp whistle of the bird himself. The bird called from our right and I was looking at the bulrush heads when I glimpsed a bird fly over the path from the small trees in front of us. The call went up and a scramble up the 20 foot bank behind us. The bird was in top of a Hawthorne tree hidden partially by ivy. Popping up on occasions but very agitated. After some 5 minuets it flew back down to feed on the heads again. Any pic would be difficult because of light in front of me and also with over hanging willow, it was difficult t got a shot, but at least it was there. So what follows is the best I have.

Pathways:  Best here today was a pair of BULLFINCH feeding on the petals from and flowering blackthorn. Again difficult to get a shot but made one anyway.

Dunwich Heath and Minismere.

Walk out at 7 am with W.B.C. a really great 5 hours out in the field.

Although the count for the dat was 90 species mine was somewhat smaller with only 61. But then you cant have eyes everywhere.

Best birds for me was the great sight of four DARTFORD WARBLERS with three STONECHAT as well. My best was a bad pictiure with a pair of stonie's and a female dart. Caught in the sun but at such a distance what can you say.
SPARROWHAWK, BUZZARD, BITTERN. CURLEW, BLACK T GODWIT, REDSHANK, RED T DIVERS 7. TEAL, SHOVELORE, 

It was also finished off with a hot coffee in the National Trust Coastguard Station with a bun.