PURPLE SANDPIPERS AT NESS POINT

   A morning visit to Corton looking for Shore Larks failed to deliver any so making my way down to Ness Point seemed like a good idea. Scouring around the bushes didn't reveal any hoped for migrants although several flocks of thrushes flew in off the sea so I began to walk towards the wind turbine and immediately spotted a Black Redstart near the caravan park. Moving further on I could see the waves breaking on the rocks at the point and on arrival saw several Turnstone resting on some of the higher rocks out of the spray. A further look revealed two Purple Sandpipers sitting on one of the lower rocks apparently asleep as they didn't move when people came within 30 feet of them.

   Purple Sandpipers winter in the British Isles where they arrive from their breeding grounds in Iceland and Scandinavia but can come from Greenland or Siberia. They are a bird of the shoreline and are rarely seen anywhere else apart from the rocky coasts where they feed on small shrimps, crabs, insects etc.

   At Lowestoft in recent years between 6 and 10 birds have spent the winter around Ness Point so these two birds are hopefully the first of more to come. Because it was so gloomy today I am hoping to return soon in better conditions which should make the birds appear a little more colourful.

RED FLANKED BLUETAIL

   Leaving the Shrike to its meal I retraced my steps until I found several people surrounding a group of trees by a pig field where they informed me that the Red Flanked Bluetail had recently been seen. The canopy of these trees was very dense and it was difficult to see much moving around up there made all the more confusing because the target bird was hanging around with a Robin and a Blue tit so when ever a bird was seen it was usually one of the latter two. After an hour or so without any success I decided that the best action would be for me to stand still and let everyone else run around and chase the bird and hope that it was driven in my direction. Eventually this tactic paid off and I caught a fleeting glimpse of the bird high in the trees allowing a picture to be taken to confirm identity.

   The Red Flanked Bluetail is a very rare visitor to our shores as it breeds in the very north-east of Europe in dense woodland and is a notoriously shy bird so even when one does make it here it is not often noticed. Walking back to the power station happy to have seen this bird even if the photo was not the best I encountered both a Wheatear and a Black Redstart which are pictured below and saw a Peregrine Falcon hunting over the dome of Sizewell B. All in all a very successful day.

SIZEWELL SHRIKE

   The reports said that along with a Red Flanked Bluetail there was also a Great Grey Shrike in the area so after parking at the seafront I walked south on the lookout for these visitors. The footpath rose up onto the cliffs where I found somebody who asked me if I had seen the Great Grey Shrike that was supposed to be in the vicinity as he couldn't find it. With out much confidence I walked on another few hundred yards and after seeing nothing turned round and thought I would go and look for the Bluetail. Immediately I could see the Great Grey Shrike sitting high up in a bush on a bare twig as they often do. Leaving the path I gradually made my way over to the bird who didn't seem at all bothered by my presence and so with the sun behind me I started to take some photos as the Shrike hunted for insects which it would to return to the top of the bush and consume. At one point the bird caught a wasp when I managed to get these two pictures.

   Eventually some other photographers turned up and tried to get very close to the Shrike which resulted in the bird being spooked and flying over my head to the end of the field. With the departure of those I joined another photographer and together we walked to the end of the field in the attempt to relocate the bird which we did when we found it lower down amongst the leaves in a small tree. We approached to within 20 yards where we waited for the bird to resume hunting but after 30 minutes or so we were beginning to think that nothing was going to happen or that we were too close and were disturbing it when all at once the Shrike swooped down to the ground and disappeared from view. After a minute or so we approached where the bird went down but couldn't see anything, but then the Shrike flew up into a dense area of the tree and appeared to have something in its beak. I hastily snapped off a few shots before the bird hopped into a thick Hawthorn hedge and disappeared. Looking at the picture I could see that the Shrike had caught a bird and with a meal of that size was unlikely to show again for a while. Below is a poor photo of the Shrike with its prey which I think is a Dunnock.

   It is not at all unusual for the Great Grey Shrike to take small birds as well as lizards and insects and indeed is also known as the 'butcher bird' for its habit of impaling larger prey items on thorns for storage after it has eaten its fill. This species of Shrike which is also the largest found in Europe doesn't breed in this country but quite often winters here and indeed there are reports of several birds around at the moment.



 
 

MIXED BAG AT MINSMERE

   Arriving at Island mere hide at Minsmere before sunrise I was surprised to find a couple of people already there enjoying the early morning colours in the sky as the sun made its way over the horizon. Looking out over the mere we were quickly rewarded with the sight of a Bittern flying past, soon followed by a Grey Heron and a turquoise Kingfisher flashing into the pool on our right. The bright start continued with the sighting of a Water Rail after hearing them squealing in the dense reeds and then a flock of Long Tailed tits which flitted through the bushes calling to each other as they went.
   Next up were the Great White Egrets which unusually for them flew up past the hide giving good views before landing at the edge of the water and beginning to fish. One of these birds is pictured below as it made its way back to the bottom of the mere.

   All the while this was going on there was a constant stream of various ducks and geese flying past and sometimes landing and the continuous sight of a small flotilla of Coots tightly packed into a group to try and avoid the attention of the Marsh Harriers who would regularly harass them. Several Cormorants were repeatedly diving for fish with varying degrees of success and down at the far end of the mere two Otters were seen at regular intervals one of which at one point caught a substantial Eel which it took into the reeds to consume.

   Back in front of the hide the dyke leading to the mere attracted a few Bearded tits to feed on the insects near the water surface and one bird stopped still and posed long enough for me to snap its picture. I was intending to go down to the beach and look for Snow Buntings but a quick look at the mornings sightings on twitter changed all that!

TITCHWELL TIDY UP

   To finish the series of posts on Tuesdays North Norfolk trip I thought I would include a few odd photos taken of other birds and then conclude with three pictures taken on the beach at Titchwell as the tide was receding illustrating the vast open spaces on the Norfolk coast.
   The top photo is of a female Teal happily making its way through the mud searching for food looking very smart in the sunshine. The second is a flight of Brent geese passing over followed by a winter plumage Black headed Gull and then photos of an ordinary Redshank and a lone Knot.

A TALE OF TWO GODWITS?

   Among the other waders seen at RSPB Titchwell were I think the two species of Godwit although I am not 100% sure in identifying these. The first two pictures are of a juvenile Black-tailed Godwit the top one with a really good reflection and the second two are of a Bar-tailed Godwit one complete with a just caught worm. I observed that when they caught a worm they would take it down to the water to rinse it before eating, removing all the mud.

GLORIOUS GREENSHANK

   The Greenshank is a bird that I have wanted to photograph for a long while and although I have seen several recently none have been close enough and normally they disappear as soon as they notice you. The way yesterday had gone though I shouldn't have been surprised when one turned up and began to feed along the water channel running in the shallow water with its bill open in the same way that the Spotted Redshank had done. Eventually I managed to get the bird complete with its refection in the water once again in brilliant sunshine.

CURLEW AS WELL

   Another bird to make an appearance yesterday was a Curlew which I noticed while it was still 100 yards away but over the course of an hour or so it gradually made its way over until it was only 10 yards away and began to search in the foliage on the mud for food. Eventually it came out into the open in the sunshine and kept several photographers happy for a little while. Once again this was the closest view that I have had of this species and I had to marvel about how little the birds in general were worried about the close proximity of us humans. By this time 3 or 4 other photographers had joined me in the area along the marsh and I think all must have got some great images.

RSPB TITCHWELL SPOTTED REDSHANKS

   The second half of yesterday was spent at RSPB Titchwell where I walked out along the path leading to the sea stopping to look at the marsh pools on the way in glorious weather. There were a multitude of different waders around and I found that by sitting myself down in some grass and keeping quiet several of the birds would happily approach and feed as normal allowing me to take some photographs from close range of species that I had only ever pictured at long range. These photos are of a Spotted Redshank resplendent in its winter plumage and in some is seen in a feeding run where the bird quickly walks through the shallow water with its bill slightly open in the water feeling for prey items.

SNETTISHAM SPECTACULAR

   Yesterday I made an early morning visit to North Norfolk to hopefully witness the thousands of waders arriving in the pools there when the high tide covers the mudflats of the Wash. This event only occurs on the highest few tides of the year and cannot be guaranteed so it was with a little trepidation that I set off from the car park on the 1.5 mile walk to the watch point and hides. Standing at the watch point with maybe 100 other people we could see the advancing water covering the mudflats as we looked and the multitude of birds were frequently being driven closer to us to find mud to feed on. The majority of the birds were Knot but there were also large numbers of Oystercatcher as well as smaller quantities of other waders. As the top of the tide neared I moved into one of the hides to watch the flocks move onto the pools adjacent to the shore to roost until the tide turned and the mudflats became exposed again. The following photographs are of the flocks of Knot circling the pools and coming in to land.

   After spending an hour or so on the roost the flocks began to take to the air again and head out back onto the wash and they made a spectacular sight when thousands of birds lifted off together. I was told that the roost was not as large as it might have been as the wind had been in the wrong direction holding back the tide a little and preventing it from reaching its expected height. Consequently many of the birds managed to stay out on the wash and did not need to come in to the pools to seek sanctuary. The other pictures are of part of the flock at roost and the flock lifting off. This was the first time I had been up to witness this event and I don't think it will be too long before a return visit; a truly wonderful experience.

CARS MAKE THE BEST HIDES

   Just a short post to illustrate the fact that you never know when you will get the chance to take an opportunistic photograph and you should always keep your eyes open for the unexpected. Driving home from Minsmere on Saturday along the A12 I briefly spotted a bird perched on a road sign as I passed by a layby on the opposite side of the road. After a couple of hundred metres there was the opportunity to turn round and return to the layby but when I parked up there was no sign of anything so I was about to start home again when I noticed a Kestrel hovering above the verge. Very quickly the bird landed not on the road sign this time but on a post a bit further along the verge so I crept along a bit in the car, lowered the window a little and grabbed a few photos of the Kestrel from the opposite side of the road. The bird was put up by a lorry coming by on its side of the carriageway and then flew off into a field but I was more than happy to have got the chance to photograph this magnificent bird at close quarters.

SATURDAY MORNING AT MINSMERE

   An early morning start led me to Minsmere just as dawn was breaking and the still conditions caused me to stop at the entrance of the reserve, get out of the car and just listen to the spectacular dawn chorus. At this time of the year I'm not talking about the birds but instead the incredible bellowing of the Red deer stags who are beginning their rut in earnest. Although I couldn't see any of the larger stags their calls reverberated around the trees in amazing numbers, some of which were incredibly deep and resonant which I guess must have belonged to the largest animals. This really is an experience not to be missed and I recommend that everyone should try to hear it at least once.

   On to the actual reserve itself I walked down to Island mere hide in the hope of seeing some Bearded tits now that the wind had disappeared after the last week. An early morning appearance by an Otter kept me entertained for a while but the animal never came close enough to photograph and anyway the light was not good. After a while a flock of Bearded tits did show up next to the hide but the majority of them were keeping down in the reeds feeding on insects which must still be abundant in the warm conditions. As the weather cools the insect life becomes more scarce and the birds spend more of their time feeding on the seed heads of the reeds allowing for easier photography. As it was a few birds did rise up to the top of the reeds but they all seemed to be males so consequently all the pictures in this entry are of them which are much more distinctive than the browner females. Because I'm on holiday this week if the weather remains calm I will return and try to get some more pictures, hopefully including some females this time.