On-Firecrest
Stuck in a Rutt
I was at Landguard relatively early for me today (about 7.30). The bushes were alive with birds, lots of Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs, a few Blackcaps and a Whitethroat. Nice as they were, there was nothing rare amongst them to with hold me from getting to the beach to see the Dotterel that's been there for most of this week. Having dipped the spring bird at Landguard, missed them by half the Cairngorm Plateau on my holiday and having a mid week after school twitch for them called off, I was dreading dipping them again! Fortunately I needn't have worried as we met some guys coming off of the beach having seen it and showed me the photo's. My dad and I crest the ridge, hear a plover calling and I spot a plover in flight coming from the Felixstowe end of the beach. Light and speed make it defy identification but it pitches down on the beach. We try and re-locate it with bins and there in all it's two tone brown and ginger glory was the juvenile Dotterel. It runs off down the beach though, which suprises me seeing as it's been approachable to within a few feet recently. I crawl off down the shingle to try and photograph it and just hear over the surf the sound of my dads voice,
"There's two aren't there?"
"What???" I sneak a look over the shingle ridge, there's one Dotterel, and then another one runs into view! Result! And almost certainly the plover I had in flight earlier.
I settle down and take over 300 photo's of them in half an hour as they run closer to me. I creep back to where my dad has been joined by a few more twitchers and a group walk. I videoscope a little video of it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ19aWFlpvA). A Med Gull is on the beach and the first skeins of Brent Geese of the autumn fly over the sea in their 'V' formation.
A large flock of Mipits and Linnets out on the common rise into the air as one great wall of birds as a juvenile Sparrowhawk unsucsessfully rips through them.
The walk around the point didn't really produce much although there were 2 fiesty Goldcrests around the back of the fort.
Back by the ridges there were still huge amounts of Willow Warblers, showing a large variety in their plumages, from lemon and lime, to cool greys and some showing quite white underparts.
Heading home at 11.30 was a bit of a mistake as a check on RBA when I got back revealed that since I left about 4 Honey Buzzards had gone over.
Mistake or so I thought until about half 2 when my dad was mowing the lawn and shouts my name. I rush out, grab my bins and get on too 3 raptors going over. One is clearly the local Buzzard, mobbing two other buzzard like birds, but subtly different, the longer tail, and neck and head and it's broader wings with smaller fingers all pointing to Honey Buzzard! We watch them for a few minutes getting great comparison views of the two species before they drift over.
A great day with two lifers as well!
Cheers
Steve
"There's two aren't there?"
"What???" I sneak a look over the shingle ridge, there's one Dotterel, and then another one runs into view! Result! And almost certainly the plover I had in flight earlier.
I settle down and take over 300 photo's of them in half an hour as they run closer to me. I creep back to where my dad has been joined by a few more twitchers and a group walk. I videoscope a little video of it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ19aWFlpvA). A Med Gull is on the beach and the first skeins of Brent Geese of the autumn fly over the sea in their 'V' formation.
A large flock of Mipits and Linnets out on the common rise into the air as one great wall of birds as a juvenile Sparrowhawk unsucsessfully rips through them.
The walk around the point didn't really produce much although there were 2 fiesty Goldcrests around the back of the fort.
Back by the ridges there were still huge amounts of Willow Warblers, showing a large variety in their plumages, from lemon and lime, to cool greys and some showing quite white underparts.
Heading home at 11.30 was a bit of a mistake as a check on RBA when I got back revealed that since I left about 4 Honey Buzzards had gone over.
Mistake or so I thought until about half 2 when my dad was mowing the lawn and shouts my name. I rush out, grab my bins and get on too 3 raptors going over. One is clearly the local Buzzard, mobbing two other buzzard like birds, but subtly different, the longer tail, and neck and head and it's broader wings with smaller fingers all pointing to Honey Buzzard! We watch them for a few minutes getting great comparison views of the two species before they drift over.
A great day with two lifers as well!
Cheers
Steve
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