On-Firecrest
Stuck in a Rutt
Where is the dock crane at landguard? i didnt see the peregrine last winter and i need it for the yesr list. Glad to see this thread is being revived.
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Suffolk Birding (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter matt green
- Start date
Where is the dock crane at landguard? i didnt see the peregrine last winter and i need it for the yesr list. Glad to see this thread is being revived.
Original PaulE
Well-known member
you can't miss it if you park near the fort its about 60 feet high and bright blue i think the pregerine is usually on the nearest one it was yesterday ithink there are two regular birds a male and a female although saying that i've been missing them pretty regularly for the last year
cheers
StuartReeves
Local rarity
A nice Shorelark on Pakefield beach, Lowestoft at lunchtime today; the first product of the current Easterly winds no doubt. Also a scatter of records of Sooty Shearwaters up and down the coast, though I have yet to connect myself.
NoSpringChicken
Well-known member
Has anybody been to Hen Reedbed? We stopped there briefly late one evening a few weeks ago and took a walk along the path through the reedbeds. We heard several Cettis and saw some Reed Warblers and a couple of Marsh Harriers.
Crossing the road and looking towards Southwold over the marshes there was a Barn Owl flying about and in the reeds by the distant hide there were what looked tantalising like Bearded Tits flitting about. It was a bit late, as we had been on Dunwich Heath all day, and the air was thick with midges so we gave the hide a miss but it looked worth further investigation some time in the future.
It appears that you could park in Southwold near the Harbour Inn and walk to Hen Reedbeds from that direction, which could be a pleasant walk with the promise of a good pint at the end of the return journey.
Ron
Crossing the road and looking towards Southwold over the marshes there was a Barn Owl flying about and in the reeds by the distant hide there were what looked tantalising like Bearded Tits flitting about. It was a bit late, as we had been on Dunwich Heath all day, and the air was thick with midges so we gave the hide a miss but it looked worth further investigation some time in the future.
It appears that you could park in Southwold near the Harbour Inn and walk to Hen Reedbeds from that direction, which could be a pleasant walk with the promise of a good pint at the end of the return journey.
Ron
On-Firecrest
Stuck in a Rutt
Cheers for that definetly one i need for the year list (dont ask as to how i missed them in cumbria) i am on 190 and my target is 200. Here's hoping
StuartReeves
Local rarity
Over the past few weekends I've been out every day on the coast looking for migrants with very little to show for it given what's been turning-up just North of us in Norfolk. Yesterday was the same, with a morning spent at Benacre producing just Brambling, Tree Sparrow, Tree Pipit, Lesser Whitethroat and a couple of flyover Redpolls. Today, with the wind turning more to the south I thought I'd take the day off from birding and do some rather overdue housework instead. After a morning's cleaning, I went outside for a coffee in the sunshine where I heard a half-familiar call from the big oak tree at the top of the garden. It took me about an hour before I finally located the bird and confirmed my suspicions that it was a Yellow-browed Warbler and thus a belter of a garden tick! Given that I live about three miles inland, it makes me wonder just how many others have arrived and passed straight over the coast without stopping.
Stuart
Stuart
matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
Nice find!
Spent the day around suffolk coast including Benacre with a mate myself today, didn't see much though the reeds at Walberswick seemed to be alive with Bearded Tits, very showy at times too!
Moved onto Covehithe, only a couple of Spotted Redshanks were of note among good numbers of Ringo's, Redshanks, Dunlin and Little Egrets.
Matt
'Record' shots of the beardies
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Original PaulE
Well-known member
great pics of bearded tits matt. have had a similar experiance at minsmere a couple of times always fantastic to see them
cheers
cheers
Original PaulE
Well-known member
went to alton water today in amongst the pochard, tufted ducks coots and loads of great crested grebes were three superb slavonian grebes in the bright sunshine and totally flat water they looked great even in their winter plumage
viewable from the hides at tatingstone wonder
cheers
viewable from the hides at tatingstone wonder
cheers
On-Firecrest
Stuck in a Rutt
managed to get out for the first time in ages and went round lakenheath fen. I know this place can be quiet but i think the highlight was being told there was a barn owl a couple of minutes ago and my first field fares of the winter! i probably wont go back until the spring.
Were the slavs where they were last winter? if they stick around i might go for them again.
Were the slavs where they were last winter? if they stick around i might go for them again.
Original PaulE
Well-known member
On-Firecrest;103274 Were the slavs where they were last winter? if they stick around i might go for them again.[/QUOTE said:
On-Firecrest
Stuck in a Rutt
cheers, last year they were slightly down the path from the hide at the end of the woods? if that makes sense my memory is a little hazy. Great views though of 2 being chased off by a great crested.
This weekend unless a mega turns up i will probably be walking north from sizewell, to find me a long tailed shrike or an eastern crowned warbler (or something like that)
This weekend unless a mega turns up i will probably be walking north from sizewell, to find me a long tailed shrike or an eastern crowned warbler (or something like that
)Original PaulE
Well-known member
high scott you can park at the end of the bridge for free but you are supposed to get a ticket from the main carpark to park in the tattingstone wonder carpark
interesting about the red -necked that would be a lifer for me i will have to go back and try again i didn,t even know the hides were there until last week i usually walk on the other side of the reservoir where the nature reserve is it always amazes me how many great crested grebes there are on the water
cheers
On-Firecrest
Stuck in a Rutt
interesting sog talk on the introduction of white tailed eagles to the suffolk coast last night. Bring em' on i think its a great idea and would love to see them soaring high over the coastal marshes.:t:
matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
A grand days birding around the Suffolk coast today, started at Minsmere where we had the usual Bearded Tits, Water Rail etc along with a nice fly over view of Bittern ~ a Rock Pipit was heard around north marsh, also 14 Redpolls flew across the path by the dunes.
Good numbers of Snipe, Black Tailed Godwits were seen on the scrapes as well as 2 Little Stints. 18 Bewick Swans also gave good (if uneventfull) views.
Just before we left the reserve three female Red Deer crossed over the road and wondered into the sorrounding farmland, surprisingly photogenic as I managed some reasonable record shots through the binocs from the car!!
Moved onto Westleton Heath, eventually found some good views of Dartford Warblers (oft squabbling with the resident Stonechats!), a further 5 Lesser
Redpolls flew over, a few Siskins were also heard.
Last port of call was Blythbough, parked the car at the carpark opposite the White Hart and proceded to walk out to view the marshes for possible Owls and Harriers etc, no Owls but we did manage a Male Peregrine and Lastly the sighting of the day in the form of a Great White Egret!
The Egret seemed huge! even from a good distance, fortunately the bird flew along the river heading towards the bridge and estuary beyond giving close views of the obviously larger wings, very Heron like in appearance with well bowed wings with slow powerfull flaps, also the long ''dagger-like'' bill was seen to be yellow through the scope and the chest was much bulkier than that of the smaller Little Egret.
Matt
Good numbers of Snipe, Black Tailed Godwits were seen on the scrapes as well as 2 Little Stints. 18 Bewick Swans also gave good (if uneventfull) views.
Just before we left the reserve three female Red Deer crossed over the road and wondered into the sorrounding farmland, surprisingly photogenic as I managed some reasonable record shots through the binocs from the car!!
Moved onto Westleton Heath, eventually found some good views of Dartford Warblers (oft squabbling with the resident Stonechats!), a further 5 Lesser
Redpolls flew over, a few Siskins were also heard.
Last port of call was Blythbough, parked the car at the carpark opposite the White Hart and proceded to walk out to view the marshes for possible Owls and Harriers etc, no Owls but we did manage a Male Peregrine and Lastly the sighting of the day in the form of a Great White Egret!
The Egret seemed huge! even from a good distance, fortunately the bird flew along the river heading towards the bridge and estuary beyond giving close views of the obviously larger wings, very Heron like in appearance with well bowed wings with slow powerfull flaps, also the long ''dagger-like'' bill was seen to be yellow through the scope and the chest was much bulkier than that of the smaller Little Egret.
Matt
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Original PaulE
Well-known member
stunning day at minsmere today had good views of the lesser yellowlegs from the east hide
we then did some seawatching which produced another lifer for me a velvet scoter flying with a group of common scoter
had great views of all the usual suspects bittern, bearded tit, marsh harrier kingfisher and large variety of waders on the scrape and some very sleepy bewick swans
we had just about ID a water pipit on the scrape when it was harrassed by a starling
on the way back from the island mere hide a kind lady calmly pointed out a water rail which gave great views
but the highlight for me was 10 minutes of high speed action as a juvenile peregrine chased just about anything that moved great views from the island mere hide at one point it was being mobbed by three marsh harriers a fantastic sight
just as we were leaving a lady asked us if we had seen the penduline tit a quick turn around followed but despite walking about 3 miles our only reward was to here it call and despite everyone pointing as it flew off i completely failed to see it
still we found ourselves on the beach again where another flock of scoters produced 4 more velvets but the reported little auk failed to appear
cheers
we then did some seawatching which produced another lifer for me a velvet scoter flying with a group of common scoter
had great views of all the usual suspects bittern, bearded tit, marsh harrier kingfisher and large variety of waders on the scrape and some very sleepy bewick swans
we had just about ID a water pipit on the scrape when it was harrassed by a starling
on the way back from the island mere hide a kind lady calmly pointed out a water rail which gave great views
but the highlight for me was 10 minutes of high speed action as a juvenile peregrine chased just about anything that moved great views from the island mere hide at one point it was being mobbed by three marsh harriers a fantastic sight
just as we were leaving a lady asked us if we had seen the penduline tit a quick turn around followed but despite walking about 3 miles our only reward was to here it call and despite everyone pointing as it flew off i completely failed to see it
still we found ourselves on the beach again where another flock of scoters produced 4 more velvets but the reported little auk failed to appear
cheers
NoSpringChicken
Well-known member
I, too, was at Minsmere yesterday afternoon and went into the East Scrape hide expecting to have to sift through hundreds of waders to find the Lesser Yellowlegs. Instead it was the bird closest to me, right in front of the hide. Very nice too. Unfortunately, by the time I had fitted the camera onto the scope and got everything set up, the Yellowlegs had wandered off and become just another small black silhouette.
There was also a Water Rail wandering about right in front of the East Scrape hide, giving great views. I thought they were meant to be secretive birds.
Has anyone ever managed to see Bearded Tits in the afternoon, as they are never to be seen by the time I arrive? The only time I've seen them has been in the morning.
Ron
There was also a Water Rail wandering about right in front of the East Scrape hide, giving great views. I thought they were meant to be secretive birds.
Has anyone ever managed to see Bearded Tits in the afternoon, as they are never to be seen by the time I arrive? The only time I've seen them has been in the morning.
Ron
claire78
Well-known member
Come to think of it Ron the best views of bearded tit that I've had have all been mornings! Last time I was down at Minsmere (11-10-2007) they were pinging around everywhere in the morning but were nowhere to be seen by the afternoon!
Aiming to get down to Minsmere later this week so hope the lesser yellowlegs hangs around a bit longer!
TTFN
Claire
NoSpringChicken
Well-known member
The Lesser Yellowlegs has been there since last Wednesday, so fingers crossed it will still be there for you later in the week.
I don't know if you have seen them before but one of the Water Voles was still in the pool at the old car park. It was right beside the bridge and seemed oblivious to the people watching it, much to the amazement of everyone who hadn't seen one before. Well worth a look.
Ron
