Hollesley 16th and 17th March

9th March Mealy Redpoll on my garden feeders was a nice surprise.

16th March 

 So a great weekend on patch, things are finally happening. Saturday i left the house and immediately spotted 2 Red Kite, Yellow wagtail and Reed bunting flew over too. Got to the flooded fields at RSPB Hollesley on the Warren Prison road and got the Glossy Ibis and Great white egrets. Onwards past the prison an made my way to the River bank, 2 Little Ringed Plover on the flood. Wicked. 1st of the year.

A Great White Egret here too. It was a lovely day, the Fallow deer were making the most of it.

There were now many Chiffchaffs in with over 10 Singing through the site.  A Stonechat of the possible European race Rubicola had me quite excited certainly wouldn't be out of place in Southern Europe.

Mediterranean Gulls were much more evident today with at least 6 birds of all ages. 12 Whitefronts on the scrape still, 2 Egyptian Geese, Kingfishers and back at the cafe and car-park now 2 Glossy Ibis. 

The sun brought out Small tortoiseshell, Red Admiral and Comma.  It was a pleasure to be out for a change.

Sunday 17th March

What a difference a day makes, now pouring with rain and photos weren't easy to take, everything wet. Today was just as good as yesterday mind. The 2 Glossy ibis still in fields from the car-park was a nice start.

From the screen 3 Spoonbill fresh in, 2 Avocets and a poorly looking Marsh harrier, white in the wings as well as in heavy mault.

Then i moved around to Simpsons salting where a brief view of a nice Drake Garganey, first of the year. 

A female Goosander, 7 Pochard and 4 Tufties made up the rest of the ducks. A Great white Egret flew in then when i got to the sluice 2 more on show. Never seen 3 here before. 

Walking back along the bank finally a Wheatear put in a wet appearance, as usual sitting on the small fishing boats mored up on the saltings. 

Back on the winter flood 3 Great White Egret flew in together, pretty sure they must be the same 3 from earlier.

In the next field were all the geese will about 7 European Whitefronts. Back at the screen i picked out a second winter Yellow legged gull. On patch that was about it. 

Nipped to Snape to see a distant crane, only saw the head, then onto Iken for 6 Cattle egret. 

The End