Dungeness & Waxwings ( Ipswich )

 The boys and I head off to Dungeness in Kent for our first visit of the new year.

Up on the beach, we have to shield ourselves at the side of the hide to protect ourselves from the very strong wind and it is very cold, we are the only people there and we soon find out why. We are only after year ticks but apart from a few Gannets, Kittiwake, and the odd Razorbill and Guillemot all needed for year ticks, we hang around for a short while but nothing else was seen.

We shoot around to the farm by the entrance to the reserve and pick out a Glossy Ibis for another tick. A large flock of Bewick's plus  3 Whooper Swans were also seen around the back roads but no sign of any Cattle Egret.

On the way home, we pop into Lynford and tick Marsh and Coal Tit, but never saw any Hawfinch so a big disappointment also we found out that the feeding station by the big gate is no longer there a big letdown and something we looked forward to when visiting here.

Off home on a very cold and a bit of a rubbish birding day, but a few ticks so not all bad.

Waxwings in Ipswich )

We hear about a flock of Waxwings in Ipswich and we meet up with Brian and arrive at Blanche st just as it was getting light, only a short street so no problem finding the small Rowan tree that they were feeding on.

It's about an hour before we find the 7 birds on a large tree behind the houses down a short alleyway. They fly onto the Rowan tree on and off but not stopping on the tree for any length of time but a good year tick and well worth the trip.

We now try for the Palla's Warbler at Swalecliffe, we park the car and it is only a short walk to the bushes where the Palla's has been seen. After a couple of hours, all we get is a couple of short calls but never had any sighting of the bird so no tick there.

A walk up to the foreshore gets us a single tick where we see 20 or so Ringplover, but no sign of the reported Purple Sandpiper.

One of the Waxwings

5 of the 7 birds