Purple Sandpiper at Landguard

Time has not been my own for a while now but this morning I woke early and decided to run up the A12 to Landguard hoping I might find a migrant or two. Walking out onto the common I quickly picked up three Lesser Whitethroat and a Common Whitethroat. A large flock of Linnet and Goldfinch were busy feeding with a flock of House Sparrow and a Robin for company and among them a Tree Sparrow which I think is a first for Suffolk for me. Further along the common I found three Wheatears. A Whimbrel and three Oytercatchers flew over and Sandwich Terns dived in the harbour before I reached the pier and eventually found a Purple Sandpiper feeding. I watched the bird for over an hour and found it fascinating how the bird pays so little attention to the incoming tide where at times it would be completely covered by the waves but would stand its ground and carry on feeding as the waves dropped. The walk back gave views of Willow Warbler and Black Redstart but I failed to find the reported Pied Flycatcher.

Back home and a Wryneck reported on Chingford plain had me getting back in the car but a two hour search wasn't successful although the bird was refound as we drove home. We did see a Grasshopper Warbler found by Ian L. which gave the Jims a year tick. 

Year list now 224

The following morning saw me pick up Jim at 7am for another try for the Wryneck and I managed to refind the bird and get the half a dozen other birders onto it.

Year list now 225

Zitting Cisticola at Walberswick

I dipped a Zitting Cisticola (previously known as Fan-tailed Warbler) in Kent earlier this year so when news came out of one at Walberswick yesterday I was itching for the twitch but unfortunately I had already planned to watch my grandson play his first football match and by the time that commitment was met it was too late to make the trip up to Suffolk but I had already promised to take Jim and Dad to see the Black Stork at Boyton some 20 miles from Walberswick so I arranged with them to leave in time to be at Boyton for first light see the Stork and if news was positive on the Zitty we were well placed to go for it.

Dad struggled with the walk out to the Black Stork but his mood was lifted when he saw how well the bird was showing for us. 

A Tawny Owl called again from the copse in Mill lane and we encountered the usual suspects on the walk, Bearded Tits, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Avocet, Green Sandpiper, Ruff, Chinese Water Deer and Hares to name a few. Back at the car park we found a Little Owl but with news of the Zitty being seen we headed off with haste to Walberswick. Ringo took £3 off me for 4 hours parking and we started the half a mile walk down to the twitch. As we arrived the bird was heard calling and we managed to see it flying high in the clouds. This repeated every ten minutes or so and we managed to watch it flying low along the reeds along with one very brief view of it sat up. Spoonbill was the only other bird of note here but we left extremely happy to be adding Zitting Cisticola to the life list (452) the year list (223) and the Suffolk list (282)

The Zit is my second new bird of 2025 and has been a long time coming in this year of limited opportunity where I've added this and the Booted Eagle (which looks good to make the British list) and I've dipped just Song Sparrow now I've erased the dip on the Kent Zit.

Additional note: It transpired that the Zitting Cisticola found a female and they raised a brood of four young marking the first breeding of this species in Britain