A day out

I've been getting my birding fix by stealing an hour here and there locally mostly Fishers Green or Rainham after school runs for the little ones but with a nice forecast for Saturday and no planned family duties for me and the Jims we organised a trip.

The plan was to start with the Hume's Warbler in Lowestoft Suffolk so we set off early to arrive for 7.30am and joined a few other guys to search the area around the Tennis courts where the bird was known to be wintering. Time went by and we were joined by Mark F. Dave B. and Mike O'H. we had a good catch up as we waited for the bird to join us which it eventually did as Mark and I picked up the call before another guy also heard it and managed to pick it out high up. It dropped and moved to feed in a bush with a Firecrest.(Mark did tell me the name of the bush but I've forgotten it). Over the next hour or so we had good views of both the Hume's and the Firecrest although they were very mobile and difficult to hit with the camera. A Barnacle goose flew over which gave the Jims a third year tick of the day. The Hume's is my fifth after birds in Yorkshire, Norfolk and Kent (2).

Firecrest

Firecrest

Hume's leaf Warbler

We moved on and decided to try Ness Point for Purple Sandpipers as it was just a couple of hundred yards away but despite a good search we failed to find any in a very high and turbulent tide and decided to try next for Shore Lark at Kessingland knowing that four birds had been wintering there. It was a short five mile drive away and we parked in a layby before walking out to the beach forgetting a) the steps down and b) just how big the beach is at Kessingland. The steps and the walk would be too much for Dad so he sat this one out on the bench above the cliffs as Jim and I took on the challenge of the walk to find the Shore Larks which proved successful as we enjoyed good views of the four birds out on the shingle having first navigated the uneven steps and the very wet areas between the cliff and the shingle. We told Dad we had the bird but talked him out of attempting the descent instead heading back to join him at the bench.

Shore Lark

Shore Larks

Shore Lark

I drove the car through the caravan park to save Dad part of the walk back from the bench and we set off north before stopping again at Ness Point for another search for Purple Sandpipers which this time proved fruitful although again involved a lengthy walk. We also found a partially leucistic Stonechat here and a Rock Pipit with a blue ring which a local said meant it was ringed in Finland.

Purple Sandpiper

the partially leucistic Stonechat

Turnstone

Having finally year ticked Purple Sandpipers (and I know the tick isn't important but an excuse to find and enjoy these winter visitors each year) we moved on and with me wanting to see the Iceland Gull at Sea Palling and the Jims still wanting winter Swans this year left us with a short debate about in which order we tried for both and we ruled out going for the American Wigeon due to the length of the walk Dad would have to do for it.  I decided we'd got to Sea Palling first and we headed north 25 miles to the beach car park and paid the £1.50 fee for an hour before setting off along the beach to the large throng of Gulls feeding on the tide line. Among the majority of Herring Gulls and Black-headed gulls we found first the juvenile Iceland Gull and then a couple of Caspian Gulls. I can't believe it's almost five years since I last saw an Iceland Gull (Wantsead April 2021) Our hour passed too quick before we headed off to get the Jims a year tick at Ludham airfield where a mixed herd of 50 Whoopers and Bewick's was quickly found before the 120 mile journey home. I added four year ticks and Jim managed eight with Dad seven after not seeing the Shore Larks. (Firecrest, Barnacle and the two Swans that I'd already seen this year)

A terrific day of birding in Suffolk/Norfolk with the Hume's being a Suffolk tick for me too.

Year list now 162