Shore Larks at Covehithe Broad Suffolk

Xmas eve & after receiving some great news from Brian we plan to celebrate by doing what comes naturally & head off for a day birding in Suffolk.
We head to Covehithe Broad to try to pick up a year tick with some Shore larks.
Parking in a lay- by near the old ruins we take a not to unpleasant walk down to the beach & spot 3 Shore lark within a few minutes.
We spend a good few hours just watching these busy little birds going about their life & not taking to much notice of us, they just carry on  feeding, the camera was working over time.
When we had had our fill of the Larks we set of to Thorpeness so Jimmy & myself  could pick up another year tick in the Tundra Bean Goose reported there yesterday.
After parking we scan the fields but can only spot Barnacle Geese & many Greylag, we think maybe they have flown but a fellow comes over to tell us that he had just seen them in a field over the back, so off we hike over some very prickly rough ground but we get our reward when we spot 15 of them quite a long way off but with great scope views well worth  the hike.

the 3 Shore Larks

Nice trip to Norfolk

With Brian available for a day's birding we head off to Norfolk in the hope off picking up a year tick or two.
First stop we try Wolferton for a try for Golden Pheasant, a few trips around the triangle & a small amount off time parked up produces no sign of the target, so we head to titchwell in the hope that Jimmy & myself can get a tick by seeing a Water Pipit, we know we can pick one up somewhere else later but while here lets look, the only problem was that the management had flooded the scrape, so not to much about today.On the way to the hide all we see are many Chaffinches & the odd Robin but not much else.
A bit of a disappointment tick wise but always nice to visit here. A visit to Salthouse means a long walk down the shingle to see a flock of Snow Bunting 60 or more are seen along with 10 or more Twite, they don't want to hang about to long, so only a quick snap of a few of them.
So we head off to Lady-Anne's drive to scan the many Pink footed Geese in the hope that the Snow Goose was with them, once again no luck only Brent are picked out with the pack.
But we do see 3 Grey Partridge feeding near the fence & later on we see some more as we head off to Cantley Marshes to try for the Bean geese reported, the light has started to beat us now & although we pick out a group that probably were Bean Geese they were just to far away for us to be certain in such bad light,so once again we miss out on the target but we did get to hear & watch  the hundreds of Corvids going to roost, as always a really great thing to wittiness.
Tick wise not a good trip but any day out birding with the boys is a pleasure.

Pink footed Goose

Grey Partridge

Some of the flock of Snow Bunting

Birds on a hill.

Just a nice scene, Turnstone plus.

Out Birding at last with a visit to Chilham for the G G Shrike

It seems such a long time since we all got to do some birding together, it's about 3 weeks but feels such a lot longer.
So we set of early on a really cold but clear morning, first stop is a ride down the track at Elmley, as we enter the field to the left of us is awash with over 300 Curlew in with them are many Ruff.
On the drive down the track we get to see a couple of common Buzzard,a very friendly Kestrel, as always here we see Marsh Harriers putting hundreds of Lapwings & Starlings into flight.
Plenty of Meadow Pipits & a nice Stonechat showed well for us.
Always nice to visit here, no year ticks but a very pleasant few hours spent just watching the birds mainly from the car.
Off now to find the target bird of the trip at Chilham, it's only around 20 miles from Elmley & as we pull into the lay- by in Branch Rd, we can see the Shrike sitting on the top of a bush.
We head over the road & follow the bird down to the sports centre stopping along the way to get some cracking views of the Great grey Shrike & this gives us another year tick at long last.

Stonechat

Lapwing

Great grey Shrike