Fungi etc......

24th a great garden tick as a Tree Pipit flew over calling as i was checking the moth trap.
Patch has been boring all week so nipped for a walk around Carlton Marsh. 6 Swift, Yellow Wagtail over and a Grasshopper Warbler. Whimbrel over too.

Avocets breeding too,

More Stuff in the garden but this time a rareish Bee Andrena fulva.

Had the weekend in the tent at Kelling Heath, Awful weather so managed very few birds. Woodlark, Yellow Hammer, Reed Bunting and a very close Red Kite.

Over at Cley again very quiet so took some pics of Gadwall and Avocet.

A pair of Little Ringed Plover Wheatear and Redshank too. Otherwise that was it.

Back on Kelling heath i had to make do with some Fungi. Tremella mesenterica

Byssomerulius corium

and Trametes hirsuta

Thats very much it this week... Soon be off to Lesbos for the week.

Migrants are finally back

Firstly the American Bittern is still at Carlton Showing well now for the masses.

Back in Corton migrants are finally arriving but the garden as always this time of year can be productive. Wednesday a Lesser Whitethroat was singing from the tree down the bottom of the garden whilst checking thr moth trap. It was still about when i returned in the evening.
A Male Brambling visited feeders showing up on my feeder cam. nice surprise.

Lots of Siskin going over too and small flocks of Sand Martins and Swallows too.
On patch Wheatear and Stock dove
April 18 a Ring Ouzel flew over COSW and on the sea Porpoise and Common Scoter
April 19th Beefly and Brimstone butterflies in the garden but no Lsr Whitethroat, it does seem to have moved to CNSW as there is now one singing there.

Also my first Common Whitehroat of the year, infact 2.

Common chiffchaff and Blackcap everywhere.
April 21st 2 Lsr Whitethroat CNSW, at COSW another Lsr Whitethroat and a Snipe and then a 4th Lsr Whitethroat singing from the playing field hedge on my road on my way back
Today more of the same and a female Ring Ouzel at the CNSW and a Yellow Wagtail over COSW.
A Marsh Harrier flew over CNSW and a patch year tick Willow Warbler was singing from the edge of Furse wood.
Very nice weekend weather wise but very little reward for many hours on the patch.

Weekend Birdng

12th April Back on the patch or even from the garden Woodcock from the service rd of the NSW.
13th April Red Kite over the Garden pursued by a Common Buzzard. Garden tick. It was a warm evening so did some nighttime vis mig. Moorhen, Grey Heron and lots of Redwing with a few Song Thrush Tawny Owl calling from the woods and a flock of Wigeon over.
14th April started on the clifftop at COSW a brief Black Redstart. Met James as we were hoping some daytime vis mig would happen, it didn't and the 2 Spoonbill that had been seen heading north past Kessingland didn't come past either. Oh well i gave the area a little longer and managed to find a Yellow Wagtail as it flew inland, also plenty of Meadow Pipits, 3 White Wagtail and my first Reed Bunting of the year here. Swallows and Sand Martins are now plentiful.

The rest of the patch wasn't much cop either although plenty of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps in now.
A Kestrel was it.

Back to COSW 2 Wheatear on cliff top and a cracking male Ring Ouzel flew over the track toward the Church. Brambling flew over the Dis Railtrack on my way back home.
After lunch, headed to Potter Heigham. I was hoping for a Drake Garganey and that is what i got. Very little else however.

Today thick fog so nothing of note. 
This Witches' Butter, Exidia glandulosa was the only thing i could take a picture off.

American Bittern

Saturday on patch it was very hard work for very little reward, well i say very little but still a selection of 4 Swallow, 4 Sand-martin a Firecrest singing, Blackcap and Chiffchaff singing all over the place now. Buzzard too.

Saturday Afternoon was spent at head Lowestoft Lizard Robs Wedding, we all had a lovely walk along the track at Carlton Marsh where i managed to find a Swallow but better still a nice Little Ringed Plover.
Little did we all know was that a Mega American Bittern had be photographed only a couple of hundred meters of where we had been stood for photos. I certainly didn't realize till i got up at 620 the Sunday morning to text and lots of tweets.....What......
So after checking the moth trap i joined the hundreds of others hoping for a glimpse of this American Bittern. I stayed till 11am to no luck, just a nice male Ring Ouzel though so headed home for some lunch expecting to return to look again later in the day. At 12 and 1235 the bird was then spotted so i arrived just after 3 to again a huge crowd and it wasn't till a very long wait about half 5 that the bird finally made a pass of the crowd for about 5 seconds and that was it. Life Tick but not a very satisfying one. Sedge Warbler was a nice year tick.
So Monday came and as the bird had been seen again i headed out in the evening but only once again had a brief fly by, still no chance of a picture.
Today however i nipped over to Carlton Marsh's as soon as i finished work, i met up with Rene and we headed for a corner of he reserve that nobody was watching. After a good couple of hours of watching the Barn Owls i spotted what looked like the head of a Bittern. Then Rene picked the bird up further along the ditch until finally the bird gave itself up, only the Bloody AMERICAN BITTERN and showing better than id ever seen it.

It then came out into the open as it raced through the juncus into another ditch. We had put news out by now so a few people were lucky enough to connect before it flew further out and over the reeds.

It was a superb setting with the Bittern and Barn Owls over head. Awesome.

Please if anyone can spare a few quid donate to the wonderful Carlton Marsh's mass reserve expansion here https://www.suffolkbroads.org.uk/

On Wednesday James found a Black Redstart at COSW so hopefully i started there after work but just my luck i couldn't find it. There were over 40 Meadow Pipits feeding in the cliff top field and one large group. Definitely new in.
Still disappointed about missing the Black Red, i carried on through the patch passing the church to the field opposite where i noticed a shed load of wagtails. An incredible 21 White Wagtails certainty a lizard land record who knows what the county high counts are.

Certainly made up for missing the Black Redstart.

Thursday i was out again persevering hoping for that biggie, no biggie tonight but found 2 Black Redstarts at COSW, 1 certainly new in 1 i could have missed yesterday but personally like to think they were both new in. Chipping away at the scarce stuff.

Tonight very little but 1 Black Redstart still, 2 Chiffchaffs a Mistle Thrush, Dunlin, Snipe and 2 Oystercatcher were best of the rest.