Little Bittern, Red-necked grebe, Red-backed Shrike.

Just Jimmy & myself today, we are up & out by 5am heading to Lakenheath for the Little Bittern.
At the last minute we decide to pop into Weeting heath & the first tick of the day when we see Spotted flycatcher & I also pick out a couple of Stone Curlew, not needed for a tick but nice.   We wanted to see  Woodlark for a year tick but didn't manage to see any here today.
So off to look for the L Bittern at Lakenheath, the car park is fairly full as you would expect for this visitor.
We are told that the bird had been heard on & off over the last two hours & it is in the pool right down by Joist hide.
On arrival a group had already gathered & we soon hear the bird, it seems to be on the move up & down the reed bed but the bird never showed while we are here so we tick it on the call that we hear many times over the time that we spend here.
We don't have a lot of time today so with the pager telling us of a Red-necked Grebe only 15 miles away we must go looking for it.
Parking by the church at Livermere lake Ampton water it's a bit off a walk  that is not needed after the long walk at Lakenheath but that is soon forgotten when we see the bird half way out on the water & it's a little cracker in full summer plumage to give us another year tick.
A call from Brian & he is at Fowlmere RSPB & he is looking at four Turtle Doves & it is only a four mile diversion off the M 11 on the way home, as I said we have to be home by 2 o'clock & that only gives us a very short time to search for the bird's even with help from Brian on the phone & finding the bare tree that one of them likes to sit in it's not a happy ending as we have to give in to the time & with a heavy heart we dip out but only being about 40 miles from home we will try later this week & feel very confident of getting a sighting of at least one of them.
I make it home in time to lift my brother in law to hospital & think that's the days birding over ,but after dropping Fred off at his house I arrive home to find Jimmy waiting at the door & we are on the way to Fairlop waters that is only 15 minutes from home to find a reported Red-backed Shrike, once again it's a bit of a walk before we spot the Shrike sitting up very nicely for us, a really smashing bird this one & a real bonus to give me the fourth tick of the day.


                                                     
                                                                 

Red-backed Shrike at Fairlop.