Sutton on Sea.

Firstly Friday morning before work I managed to get out to the Old Sewage works to have a quick look for last nights Red Backed Shrike that id found. No sign initially but 2 very nice Whinchat in the morning light.

Eventually a few birders turned up and we had brief views of the Red Backed Shrike. Always love it when other birders get to see my birds. Anyway I couldn't stop long as I had to get to work.

Returned from work and headed to Sutton On Sea to meet my sister camping so there was no real birding done. I did take bins and my ears, I heard Yellow Wagtail and Tree Sparrow from the tent bedroom, probably my last Swift of the year with many migrating Swallows and House Martin. On the sea on a walk were Common Scoters, Porpoise and lots of gulls including an Adult Med Gull. 25 Sanderling were a nice addition to the weekends list.
Got back tonight and drilled the patch but absolutely dead. Yellow Wagtail and a few Chiffchaff was it.

Red Backed Shrike

Quick update from tonight. James found an Icterine Warbler but it didn't stop very long. So after work had a really good search but failed miserably. 15 Long tailed tits and a few Chiffchaff was it.
I was feeling a bit demoralised by now but back at the old sewage works first time round a single Whinchat, and something large that I didn't get an id on. 2nd time round (its only a small perimeter fence) 3 Whinchat and bingo that larger bird was a Juvenile Red Backed Shrike, my second here amazing. It made its way clockwise around the perimeter fence until I lost it around the other side. Kind of made up for missing the Icterine Warbler.
I'm pleased to say James managed to connect with the Shrike before dark, I couldn't put news out straight away as my phone had died.

Yesterday it was hard work too with just 3 Wheatear and a Whinchat in COSW
Almost forgot 2 Garden ticks, not surprising Robin and a very nice calling Greenshank, slowly ticking off those waders :-)

Migrants.

After work tonight I headed straight for the patch. Sea watching had been awesome this morning with loads of Skuas all 4 but yeh I was at work. So I got to the cliffs and realised after 20 min id missed it. 1 Did pick up 1 juvenile Arctic Skua sat on the sea. ARGHHHH
So headed around the patch to find some migrants. Walked all over, nothing but Chiffchaffs. James found a Pied Fly so eventually I managed to see that.
Headed back as sea watching was improving again. Started watching and immediately noticed hundreds of Terns streaming south with many Kittiwakes and Gannets. Unfortunately they were miles away and identifying anything was going to be impossible. Eventually a flock of 6 Arctic Skuas went through then a Guillemot and then another 3 and 2 Arctic Skuas. After realising these birds weren't worth the effort due to distance I went looking for migrants again. it was 7pm by now but birds were dropping in 3 phyllosc dropped in but into the sun and then they disappeared. Then my bird of the day Spotted Flycatcher, seemed exhausted as it fed just feet away from me.

I walked round in a circle around the old sewage work but now I was hungry and tired so decided to call it a day. My last bird of the day though was a nice Whinchat.

Wheatear and Whinchat

Ive been out on patch last couple of days and had a quick stroll around Cromer looking for stuff. Things are moving on far too slowly for my liking, the Westerlies are holding stuff back. So yesterday there was nothing to write about except the Whinchat Rob found on the patch which I managed to see later on in the day.
So today once again I was out early and started with a couple of Ringed Plover on the beach. I had a stroll up to Radar lodge where things were improving with 3 nice Wheatear.

 

 The Whinchat was still around too. I gave the area around Radar lodge a good hour in the pouring rain but nothing new materialised.

Back at the Old Sewage Works a Yellow Wagtail showed itself briefly from the turnip field and a nice Hobby zoomed through.
Back on the disused railway were a few chiffchaff calling, Blackcap and 2 Whimbrel flew over.
That was it today but hopefully tomorrow after the rain things will really hot up. fingers crossed.

Yellow Legged Gull or Not.

So no blog for past couple of weeks, that's just because ive seen no birds, and its not for lack of trying either.
Today however things hotted up just a tiny bit with a female type Marsh Harrier distantly from COSW.
Chiffchaff was singing away and 2 Common Whitethroat.
Got around to the NSW where a juvenile gull stuck out. My impression was a Yellow Legged Gull but a very subtle one not like the striking white headed individuals I normally see. So I took  a few picks and checked when I got home. Sent it to a couple of gull experts who were fairly happy with it being correct. Although the pics weren't great.
I'd expect a YLG to show some replaced scaps which I couldn't see, although its possible that it didn't have any,- on structure still most likely a YLG. 
Click to enlarge.

If anyone thinks differently please bung me an mail :-) craig@shaw6009.freeserve.co.uk.

Week just gone.

Update after all below I went out and did another sea watch this time from Gunton cliffs. It started amazingly with a ver close Black Tern, almost missed it under the scope it was so close. After this though just Whimbrel x3, Grey Plover x7 9 Common Scoter, Gannets and Kittiwakes, a distant wader looked like a redshank without the wing panels, think it was a spotted Redshank. That was it really.

August 10th
Early start with a quick run with the dogs a few Swift moved through Corton back on patch it was very quiet just 11 Teal and a few Gannet.

 

August 9th               

Sat In garden watching Swifts, Swallows and 3 fighting Migrant Hawkers.    

Back on patch I missed Sooty Shearwater that was seen off Ness point, just couldn't find it passing Corton, probably too far out but a Green Sandpiper flew over calling, 3 Swift and a house martin.

Hobby carrying food over caravan park.        

2 Bar tailed godwit 27 Oystercatcher in small groups. Singles of Dunlin and Turnstone. Yellow wag landed in field.        

Just love vis mig. In off sea together. 5 Dunlin 4 Snipe 3 Turnstone. 14 Oystercatcher and 3 Whimbrel. Redshank and 2 Sanderling.        

5 Whimbrel. 5 Dunlin. Ringed plover. Snipe. 2 Teal and an adult Med gull.        

Just got home walked into garden to Golden Plover calling. About 50 in the flock with 1 smaller wader probably Dunlin. Goldcrest in the garden too

 

August 6th       

Single adult Med gull and 2 Bullfinch CNSW Painted Lady Butterfly on the cliff top and a Lesser whitethroat on the fence at the OSW.

 

That's been the week just gone. :-)

White Rumped Sandpiper and the weeks dubings

So what's been happening this last week. Well on Monday I found a brilliant looking Elephant Hawk Moth Caterpillar whilst weeding one of my properties at work.

Back in the garden a few commoner stuff, Blackbird and Great Tit.

Then Friday a cracking Migrant Hawker visited the garden and a Mottled Beauty visited the kitchen.

Migrant hawker

Mottled Beauty

 



A couple of Seawatchs and walks around the patch were very quiet except for 8 Common Tern and a Little Tern. 2 Bright Terns flew south direct flight with shallow wingbeats but at a great distance, just on jizz I would have said Roseate Terns but I really cant claim to be 100% at that distance. 7 Whimbrel flew south and 3 Common Scoter sat on sea. Best bird of the week however was a fly by Little Egret, patch tick.

Onto Saturday we decided to have a walk to Hickling broad and follow the weavers way to the hide where an Adult White Rumped Sandpiper had been found, it was a shorter walk than I thought but a really nice one. We could hear Cranes as soon as we left the car, this nice Ducky Sallow Moth was in the long grass.

The Heavens opened just before we reached the hide so we stood and shelted till it passed over. Unfortunately by the time we reached the hide the Sandpiper had disappeared. Whilst Stood waiting for the Sandpiper to return or come out into the open again we could hear Sedge, Reed and Grasshopper Warblers, Bearded Tits and Cranes. On the pool a great mixture of Waders, 3 Green Sandpiper, 1 Wood Sandpiper, LRP, Ringed plover, 40 Ruff, Dunlin and a Greenshank. 3 Little Gull were nice. Eventually the White Rumped Sandpiper appeared out on nowhere and gave reasonable scope views at 55 times zoom, hence the poor shot, its there I promise.

 



Closeby were my second large Caterpillars of the week, 2 Swallowtail Caterpillars. Returning to the car distant views of 4 Cranes.

Returned home via Breydon water, it always amazes me the amount of Avocets on show with 400+, same with Black tailed Godwits, 7 Whimbrel, and a few Bar tailed godwit. A Juv Med Gull was quiet nice but otherwise it was quiet.

Back to the Patch today, from the cliffs at the old sewage works 1 long staying Knot, 11 Turnstone and 3 Common Sandpiper.
Shep found this Adult Hedgehog and a Painted Lady Butterfly was a bonus, a Buzzard showed really well, otherwise still very quiet.

Another couple weeks and things will start happening hopefully although work will put pay to any day time birding, as Work meant I missed Breydon Waters Franklin gull on Friday, would have been a lifer... cant win em all.

Update.. just had a new dragonfly in the garden female Southern Hawker.
3 Species now, Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker and Migrant Hawker, well impressed..