SHORELARKS

   Driving over to Southwold I was hoping to catch up with some Snow Buntings in the gorgeous sunshine this morning but after a couple of hours wandering along the beach I only managed to get a couple of very poor pictures of a bird with an injured leg and a distant view of two Shorelarks which flew over to the town marshes after probably being disturbed by the number of people and dogs on the beach. Shorelarks are spectacular little birds that arrive on the east coast in October and November and remain until March when they return to the Arctic tundra and mountains above the tree line to breed. They are a little smaller than Skylarks but are mainly recognised by the vivid yellow and black markings on the head of the males and the small feathered 'horns' that can sometimes be seen.

   Moving on from Southwold I drove to Kessingland and walked along the beach to Benacre sluice spotting along the way a multitude of Pied Wagtails and Skylarks but about 100 yards before the sluice I came across a pair of Shorelarks. I crept closer on my hands and knees using grassy tussocks for cover and spent the next hour or so photographing these birds at will as there were far fewer people around to disturb them. It is thought that around 200-300 birds winter here in this country so I count myself quite fortunate to have seen 4 birds in one day. In this last picture the bird on the left is showing its 'horns' well as it looks toward me.