Roller in Suffolk.

 As usual, Brian had been to see the Roller on Wednesday, Jimmy & myself were hoping the bird would hang about till we could get there.

Thursday was a no-go for us but after seeing the bird was still about on Friday we are keen to go, a text from Brian tells us that he is keen to see the bird again so he will drive us.

A bonus again for us is when Robert can come with us as he needs it for a lifer.

It's a late start around 10 o'clock but it's only an hour before we are parking luckily we find a sport in a grass lay-by on the A1101 a very dangerous road for bird watching.

All we have to do is cross the road & we are onto the Roller as it sits on a distance fence post.

 It then gives us a wonderful display as it flies up & down the fence line, every few minutes it would land high on a bush before dropping to the ground & it came back up with a massive worm in its beak.

The closest view of the morning is when the Roller flies up onto the wires & poeses for the cameras that had gathered. What a cracking looking bird & only an hour from home & to have Robert with us to get him a lifer is a great bonus for us all.

Beautiful.

The first view we had of the Roller.

 

Another 

Bee Eaters at Breydon Water Norfolk.

A late call from Brian gets us heading off to Norfolk for the Bee-eaters at Breydon Water. It's a 2-hour drive to Great Yarmouth before we park & at Gapton hall we are off towards the allotments. We had been told on the way down the track that the birds had gone missing. Unperturbed we head on & meet up with some fellow birders & it was one-off them that put us onto a single Bee-eater in the distance, so we have a year tick but want more.  It's back in the car & head back to the rugby club car park & once parked we are off down to the farm & that was a great decision as we get stunning views of 9 beautiful Bee-eaters.   It was the only tick of the day but what a great one.

4 of the 9 birds seen.

  

Another 2,  beautiful

  

A few days out birding

Spurn and Bempton Cliffs 

Our first trip was up to Kilnsea for a lifer in the Eastern subalpine Warbler. It took us a little over 4 hours and as we drove along the road to park at Spurn we got great views of a Purple Heron as it flies over our car and lands just behind us, we find a place to pull over and pick it out again as it is chased off by a Grey Heron and lands at a distance, so a nice year tick to start the day. We park up and head straight out to the point in search of the Warbler. It is a long walk along the beach and then head out to the point, people walking back tell us that there is no sign of the bird but we walk on.  A couple of hours later along with most of the other birders we give up and head back having dipped on the lifer again. We pick up a couple of year ticks on the way back but a real disappointment. We decide to head off to a favorite reserve of ours about 40 miles away, Bempton cliffs.

On arrival, we find the place is packed with people and as usual birds. We pick up a year tick within minutes as we see many Tree Sparrows flying around the bushes by the car park.

Looking over the cliffs from the viewing platform gets us another tick as a couple of Puffins are resting on the rocks. The place is alive with Guillemots, Razorbills. Fulmars, Kittiwakes, and of course the wonderful sight of the many Gannets that they have there.

Jimmy and I get a bonus when a Barn Owl shows when it comes out of a nesting box that they have there, Barn Owl in a normal year is one of the first birds we see as we start our year list but not being able to travel for most of the year anything seen now is a bonus.

On the long trip home we stop off at Rutland Water and tick a pair of Ospreys as they feed the chicks that were visible to us.

Baldock, Hertfordshire and The Brecks

A few days later we are off very early in the morning to Baldock to tick a calling Quail, it took a good hour before we get to hear the bird but another good year tick. 

We had already planned that evening to travel to the Brecks, leaving home around 8 o'clock we arrived in the forest just after 9pm a bonus for us is that Robert another of my sons has come with us. After around an hour, we start to hear the first call of Tawny Owl for a year tick and then a few Woodcock fly around for another tick, then it's the turn of Nightjars to start calling then some wing clapping, soon followed by several good sightings of a couple of birds in flight as they fly over our heads. Another good visit here as we leave around 11o'clock with Robert having picked up 2 life ticks.

Dungeness and Oare Marshes

Next up we head off to our first visit of the year to Dungeness that in its self is unbelievable as it's a place we go to on a regular basis It's a misty old morning when we arrive around 7 o'clock, a look for the long-staying Glossy Ibis is our starting point and it is seen very easy as it feeds but not great views as we have to pick it out through the mist. As the sun starts to burn the mist off we find ourselves on the path heading down to the reserve with a few other birders in the hope of finding the reported Collared Pratincole. It's not looking good for us despite being told that it had been seen very late the night before. Then we get lucky when a warden drives up and tells us he has just seen two birds 100 yards along the track. We all rush down there and pick out 2 flying around the field, over the next two hours we have great views of the two birds, and unbelievably they are joined by a third bird. a real good year tick a cracking bird. A quick trip up to the beach is a waste of time as it is still so misty we could not see much beyond the beach but Jimmy and I get a bonus when a Sandwich Tern flies along the beach line for another tick.

One of the Collared Pratincoles at Dungeness

With not much to hang about for we head off home but pop into Oare marshes as we nearly always do. We scan over the trees for Turtle Dove but without any luck but that changes when a local birder turns up and gets us on one right over the back at a long distance away but good scope views. He also tells us that a male Eider could be seen without having to walk too far, so just after going up the ramp and walking a short distance, we can see the Eider in the scope.

Ham Wall

Brian had got a life tick a River Warbler last week at Ham Wall in Somerset when we could not go with him as Jimmy had issues with his covid jab. The bird has hung around all week and Brian offered to drive us there in the hope it was still there, it is a long old trip so really appreciated him doing that for us. As we near the reserve it comes on the pager that the Warbler was still present, it's not a long walk before we join around maybe 50 birders already there and the bird could be heard reeling way before we reach them.  Another lifer for us both as the bird is sitting no more than a few feet away from us and over the next two hours it only moves a few meters away from that spot, what a great tick,  Bittern's are heard on and off all the time spent here and we get to see 2 as they fly over for another year tick.

 

To break the journey home we call into Thursley Common and it is now a very hot day so we don't intend to walk too far. Within five minutes we are seeing Dartford Warbler as they are in good numbers here. We look for Tree Pipit next but as we won't be walking far none are seen. Next up the search is on for Redstart and after a walk longer than we wanted we see a male high up in the the tree. It had taken us a while to find the Redstart so time to head home but just before we reach the car a male Redstart is spotted sat on a low branch to give a good view and a Woodlark was seen walking about just under it. So a great few days with one lifer and a good few year ticks catching up on what we have not been able to do for so long due to covid.

Brian and Jimmy at the River Warbler Twitch

Lifer River Warbler

The River Warbler again.

No show for the Tawny Pipit in Dorset

We set off really early heading to Dorset looking for a Lifer in the form of a Tawny Pipit. It had been present for a few days, so we take a gamble and go for it. On the way, we pull up at Longham lakes and park at the top of Green lane and walk a short distance down to the lakes. The target bird is my second ever Whiskered Tern & we find it on the South lake after a few minutes. It's a cracking-looking Tern & we spend an hour watching it fly about the lake.

After we had our fill of the tern it's off to look for the lifer at Cogden beach. It's a steep slope down to the shingle beach after we had parked in the National Trust car park. A few birders had gathered about a mile up the beach so that's where we headed, on arrival we are told there is no sign of the Pipit. so not to be put off we spend the next 3 hours walking the shingle up and down without any sign of the target, it's a bad dip for us to take with the legs hurting now after all the walking on the shingle. The bird never showed all day so we think it probably had moved on overnight. 

 

Portland is next up for us but on the way, a quick stop at Ferrybridge add's to the year list when we spot many Little Terns on the pool. As we arrive at Portland we hear a Chough has been reported in the field with the 3 horses in. We find that field but there's no sign, so we park up & walk along the front and soon find the Chough feeding on the side of the cliff. A nice find and not expected when we set out this morning for another year tick. As we walk along the path we find lots of Rock Pipits to entertain us as they parachute up onto the rocks, we spend some time just sitting watching this display. Walking on we get 3 more year ticks when a single Shag flies past and there are many Guillemots and Razorbills. A Roseate Tern is reported at Lodmoor so we had to have a look before heading for home. But once again the luck is not with us and as the rain started to fall and no sign of the Tern we don't hang about too long.

So a couple of dips, but 6-year ticks and in such a beautiful place. At last, a visit to the coast made it a cracking day out with the boys.

Whiskered Tern

The Portland Chough

One of the Rock Pipits

Essex Woodchat Shrike.

 After Frampton on Sunday, I wake early on Monday morning & set off with the boys to Rochford in my home county of Essex it's only just over 35 miles.

With it being a bank holiday we arrive in great time & park down the bottom of Mill Lane.

Now it's only a short walk across a crop field before we meet up with a small group of maybe 20other birders. We spot the target bird as we near the group sitting out in the open among the blossom. 

A cracking-looking bird and only the second one I've seen, the other one was seen in 2017 in Chipping Sodbury, a juvenile but this one was a stunning adult.

Over an hour spent watching this beautiful Shrike along with some local birders, a lot of familiar faces came and went while we were there, it's always nice to meet up with them.

With Wallasea RSPB only 5 miles away and on our way home, we look in for a very quick visit in the hope of ticking Corn Bunting.   That is achieved as we enter the reserve on almost the first bush for another year tick.

                            

The Woodchat Shrike

Wallasea Cornbunting

. 

A Dotterel on a very nice visit to the wonderful Frampton.

 Up early for a drive to a favorite reserve of ours ( Frampton ) When we arrive the car park is fairly full, so we get parked & walk the main track where we are soon watching a Jack Snipe only yards in front of us and its a better sighting than the one we saw a couple of days ago, also on this first pool there are Avocet, Dunlin, Ruff & Black-tailed Godwit which I needed for a year tick. A Dotterel had been seen over on the pool by the barn.

We walked up the steps to the sea wall & after a mile walk we turn right & find the Dotterel and get a nice view from Cross Bank just a single bird but it was walking about showing well although at a distance.

So mission accomplished for the trip now to get on enjoying walking this lovely place to see what else is about.

Ticks soon arrive when 2 Yellow wagtails  & then Golden Plover show on the same pool. Although not needed for a tick a single Whimbrel landed and the third Wood Sandpiper of the week is seen.

A walk back for another look at the Jack Snipe & over a hundred Dunlin land & a few nice coloured Ruff show well. Jimmy spots a Spoonbill for Brian that he needed for a tick.

Over 30 Ring Plover show but we couldn't find the Spotted Redshank despite walking nearly the whole way around the reserve, but it was a nice walk on a nice day.  

Ruff

Golden  Plover & Dotterel

The Frampton Dotterel

The Frampton Jack Snipe

   

At last a visit to the coast after 14 months.

The week started with a local visit to the Lea Valley where we first hear the wonderful song of the Nightingale & then get to see at least 2 for a good year tick.  It is always such a thrill to hear the first Nightingale of the year.     Later in the week, we make the decision for the 3 of us to take our first visit to Norfolk for 14 months due to covid restrictions.    This is a trip to try to get the year ticks up, first up we head to Hunstanton where we are guaranteed a Fulmar &  it only takes a couple of minutes before we get our first tick of the day.      Off now to the main destination of the day in the hope of seeing the reported Jack Snipe at Titchwell, on arrival we head to Patsy's pool & start scanning the edges of the pool for the Snipe, it was not an easy find & as we heard a Grasshopper Warbler down the track at the side of the pool we had to go to find it.  It was an easy find & a right bonus when we find the Gropper sitting displaying at the top of a bush for such a great view & we get to hear at least 2 more on the walk around the reserve.  Back at the pool, a fellow birder had found the Jack Snipe it was remarkably only a few yards from the viewing screen but it was so hard to find.  A Green Sandpiper dropped in for a good year tick. On the walk up to the beach, Brian got a tick when he saw Bearded Tit & Jimmy & myself picked up a tick when we spot a flock of Brent Geese.    On the beach, it is horrible & hardly a bird in sight. We only stay for a short time but get 2 ticks with a Knott & a sign of the times when we tick our first Gannet of the year.   A quick look in at Brancaster was very disappointing with no birds anywhere apart from a few Oystercatchers.    The road to Thornham was blocked off so instead we try Wells north pool & are soon rewarded when a couple of Wood Sandpipers show,  nothing else is seen that we needed so a quick run-up to Choseley to look for the Dotterel, that was a no show but a Whimbrel was found & loads of yellowhammer gets us to more ticks.   Off home now but on the way, we pay a quick visit to Lynford where Brian got a Marsh Tit & Jimmy got, at last, another tick when a Coal Tit showed.   The final bird of a great day birding was a very nice show from a Firecrest. So nice for the 3 of us to be out together after such a very long time.

The Grasshopper Warbler

Wood Sandpiper

The very hard to find Jack Snipe