Red flanked Bluetail

Brian was owed another day off work so we get a call to meet up at 5 am on Monday morning & head off to Titchwell.
On route it's a stop off at Wolferton to tick the Golden Pheasant for this year, we never saw it but heard it call many times in the half hour that we gave ourselves to see it.
On arrival at Titchwell we walk the boardwalk at Meadow trail where a small group of birders were looking for the Bluetail.
As we walk towards them the call comes that the Bluetail was showing , so within a few minutes all three of us see the Red flanked Bluetail for a good year tick. No photos as in the woods to deep with no light & it never stayed still long enough with Robins chasing it off every time it came in to feed. A quick walk around the reserve gets Jimmy & I a year tick when a flock of Knot fly in & land in front of the hide, we also get a tick when we see 7 Red crested Pochard.
Off now to New Holkham & Blunts corner to get another look at the Pallid Harrier & Brian soon picks it out sitting in the lower field, we get some other birders onto it as they had never seen one & I know how that feels after the trouble I had finding one myself.
Five Red Kites are seen in the area before we leave.
An hours search for a Shrike proves a waste of our time, we didn't need it for a tick but they are always nice to see & photograph. A stop off at Lynford where we see 5 Crossbill down by the bridge along with Marsh Tit,Coal Tit,Nuthatch,Brambling,Reed Bunting,Treecreeper. No luck with Hawfinch for us but people that we spoke too had seen them by the feeders.

Red crested Pochard

The female

Crossbill

Bittern, Spoonbill,Pomarine Skua. Suffolk.

Brian phones to say he has a rare Saturday off, so it's off for another visit to Suffolk after Jimmy & I visited on Tuesday.
Landguard is visited first but not to much about with no sign of any Black Redstart or any early Wheatear both have been seen here this week.
Many Linnets & a few Chiffchaff are seen also six Ringed Plover greet us up by the beach.
We get a bonus tick when a large container ship comes into dock with many Gulls following it in. Brian then picks out a Pomarine Skua amongst them & gets us onto it.
Off to Iken to see if Brian can get a tick with the Cattle Egret that Jimmy & I had ticked on Tuesday.
This time we get no sight of the target bird & leave with the intention of trying again before we go home.
Must call into Minsmere being so close. Once inside Island Mere hide we see displaying Marsh Harriers putting on a great show.
At least 7 Goosander  are seen & a few Bearded Tits are seen with a lot more being heard.
On the walk up towards the Bittern hide an Adder is spotted enjoying the early morning sun.
Once in the Bittern hide it is not long before we have another year tick when we have a quick flight view of a Bittern as it drops into the reeds in front of the hide.
Another trip back to get Brian a tick with the Cattle Egret  is a waste of time with it not showing again,means he will have to make another trip to see if he can find it.

Bittern ( not yesterday's bird )

Linnet

another 

Greylag by the hide ( why not )

Dartford Warbler + Cattle Egret & Minsmere visit.

Needed to get out birding but where to go as not to much about locally,so Jimmy & I decide on Minsmere & set off around 5 am.

First port of call is Iken in the hope of meeting up with the Cattle Egret at Hall Farm that we first saw last year & it had been reported as showing this week. After an hour we have no sign of the Egret 

& not wanting to waste to much time we shoot off to Dunwich Heath & park up & on a cold windy morning to set about finding a Dartford Warbler or two, once again no luck so we head back to the car but just as we are going to drive off we spot a couple of birds on the bushes at the side of the road & they are our target bird so we got lucky.

As we sit watching 5 more Dartford Warblers appear & fly back & fro across the road what a bonus & a great start to the day. A Sparrowhawk landed on the road looking for a meal just by the car but soon headed off as a car came along on that side of the road.

On to Minsmere & we head to Wildlife hide as a pair of Gargney have been seen there. People in the hide tell us that they are just behind a mound not far from the hide & they stay there for over an hour before a Raptor puts everything up & our birds fly right over the other side of the scrape. Before  we head round to North hide in the hope of seeing if they where showing there a couple of House Martin show in front off the hide & we are also entertained by a single Otter swimming about in the pool to the left of the hide. While walking round to North hide we hear a Cetti's Warbler for a belated tick.

Once in the North hide Jimmy soon gets everybody onto the Gargney as they stay in close to the bank but he found them, not a great view but but a tick is a tick. A quick walk round to get a tick with the Bearded Tits. On leaving Minsmere we make the decision to try once more for the Cattle Egret at Iken. It's only about 10 miles away & the Egret is showing in the first field when we arrive not far from Sandy Lane & we get great views as it feeds just away from the few brown cows.

I don't like driving to far but we had a good day as it got warmer & six ticks is not bad.

Dartford Warbler

Again

The Iken Cattle Egret

Again

The Sparrowhawk

Little Bunting at Great Barford.

Little Bunting

The three of us set of for the fairly short trip to Great Barford up the A1 for about 40 miles hoping to connect with the Little Bunting that has been around for some time.
After parking by the pub we walk over the road & see our first Sand Martin of the year as it flies around the bridge.It's a walk of  about half a mile up river until we come to a foot bridge, at first we go over the bridge but head back to the bushes just before the bridge & find the scattered seed that the bird has been feeding on. Hiding our selves away from the seed we wait for the target to show, not to long before Chaffinch, then Male & female Reed Buntings start to come in to feed on the seed, next in come a few Robins & a single Pheasant help themselves to the seed.
Then after 20 minutes or so the Little Bunting shows well as it pops on & off the trees & drops down into the channel of mud to feed, we are getting a little wet with a slight drizzle making it hard to keep the binoculars dry but we stick it out for about a couple of hours & get some really great views of it.
Another tick comes in the form of Chiffchaff as it calls away in the bushes next to us.
Not a big birding day as we head back home & are indoors by 12 o'clock but well pleased with the 3 ticks that we picked up.

Reed Bunting

8 Dips then a lifer Pallid Harrier at last.

Not sure about the weather we decide to head off to Norfolk anyway in the hope of getting me a lifer if we can find the Pallid Harrier at New Holkham.
We arrive at Blunts corner off the B1105 to find a few birders already here & the bird had been seen already so looking good, surely I can't dip again today after missing out at least 8 times over the last couple of years.
Only had to wait a few minutes before the Harrier flies across the field in front of us & gives us some really great views as it drops down to feed & then flies low back & fro in front of us for about two hours or so.With views like this well worth the wait for me to get a great lifer. Three Red Kite & a couple of Merlin are seen & have a bit of a go at the Harrier to add to the day.
We shoot off now to Holkham Gap for the flock of Shorelarks & get lucky when a local birder is on the way back & stops to give us the tip off as to where they are showing & within minutes we have a year tick as we spot them without having to walk to far to see them.
While here 2 Cranes fly over our head for tick 3 for the day.
A quick drive to Choseley gets us tick number 4 as we see a few Grey Partridge.
The real bonus of the day is the weather with a bit of sun not to much wind & no rain up till now.
A pop into Brancaster Staithe gets us Bar-tailed Godwit for tick number 5 for the day.
Cockley Cley is our last place to visit before heading off home, we have to find fire point 109 & once again get lucky when we spot the Great Grey Shrike just a few minutes after arrival, as shrikes do it sat out to give some really great views of the bird.
What a great day birding with the boys 6 ticks & the long awaited Pallid for a lifer for me to end the saga of dips & near misses.

Brian's photo of the Pallid Harrier

The Cranes flying over us.

Shrike