I wanted to make a trip to see the Shrike at Bawdsey yesterday but with a bit of Dads taxi duty to carry out I had to postpone until today. With clear skies overnight I feared the Shrike might have moved on and arriving at Bawdsey for first light (ish) I was carrying a glass that was half empty for sure. I walked down the sea wall towards the tower passing the lagoon to view the patch of bramble that the Shrike has been quite settled in for a few days and in the next couple of hours I picked up Hobby, Whinchat, Wheatears, Buzzards, Reed-Sedge-Cettis Warblers, Chiffchaff, Stonechat, Bluetit and Whitethroat and some quite large rats feasting on the corn but there was no sign of the Shrike.
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| Bawdsey |
I checked and the Pectoral Sandpiper had been reported as still at Dickleburgh Moor a place I had not visited before. It was twenty seven miles away so I decided to chase a year tick and see what this new place was like. I pulled into the small car park just north of the village and could see a small gathering of birders so joined the end of the line at a safe distance and scanned the pools and after some direction from the guy next to me I was soon picking out the Pec Sand with a group of five Snipe and in the company of a Spotted Redshank. This is a nice little nature reserve and I'm sure it'll attract other good birds and will give me reason to visit again soon.
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| Dickleburgh Moor |
On the way home I diverted a few miles off the A12 to Abberton where I found at least six Great White Egrets and a very odd Bittern which for some reason has decided to feed on the bushes along the side of the farm tracks rather than hiding among the reeds as is normal here.
I'm not sure they had a winter Bittern last year so this is a welcome sight at Abberton.
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White |
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| Great White |
A decent day after the bad start at Bawdsey.
Year list now 254
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| Bittern was down that track....a long way down that track |
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