Pec Sand at Minsmere

We set off this morning hoping to connect with the Barred Warbler that's spent the last few days at Thorpness but after over 2 hours at the site we had no sign of the visitor so headed off to Minsmere and then we walked a couple of miles to the pool where the Pec Sandpiper had been reported  on but this time on our arrival we quickly picked the bird out feeding on the muddy banks.
A few distant record shots where taken and we spent a while watching this bright juvenile bird before news came out that the Thorpness Barred Warbler had been seen again. We headed back over to Thorpness but again drew a big fat blank and where left with question marks over the reported sighting????

Pectoral Sandpiper at Minsmere

Pec Sand

Parakeets on the beech

A visit to Dad this morning gave me an opportunity to catch a few shots of his Parakeets that have decided they want to remove every single Beech nut from the trees hanging over his garden.
The Ring-necked Parakeets are now officially classed as pests in the UK since their introduction back in the 1950's but I for one still like to see them around although it would be nice to turn the volume down at times.
PS: No apology for the use of the homophone!

Ring-necked Parakeet

Ring-necked Parakeet 

Ring-necked Parakeet

Ring-necked Parakeet

Ring-neck

Ring-necked Parakeet

No apologies for a few more Purple Sands

A proper little star

Just a terrific bird.

Purple Sand!

Now and again you find a bird that seems to enjoy being around you and this was one of those birds.

Purple Sand

Photographs taken at Landguard on 7/9/14

Suffolk run

Another early start today thinking we'd put ourselves in a decent position for migrants and where else to start that search than Landguard in Suffolk. We pulled into the car park by the fort at 6.30am and started our walk around the point searching each and every bush as we went.

Several very smart Lesser Whitethroat were on show along with good numbers of Common Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Linnets. Starling were feeding on the grass and Pied Wagtail numbers topped thirty. Meadow Pipit were everywhere. A female Common Redstart was seen but I missed it.
We saw two Wryneck, a single Whinchat and a few Wheatear.
On the beach we found a Purple Sandpiper roosting and after an hour of watching it sleep as the tide came in the bird eventually woke and started to feed unfortunately the tide had found my ankles before the bird was disturbed by it but the wait and the wet feet were well worth it as the bird stayed comfortable in our presence and even came too close for the camera at times.....a real little cracker!.

Purple Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper

Wheatear

Whinchat

Wryneck

We moved up the coast and after abandoning plans to search for a reported Barred Warbler at Thorpness we drove to Shingle Street and parked up to walk the sea wall where we found a few locals CM / JR et al sitting on the beach waiting by a bush in the hope that the Lesser Grey Shrike might return to feed and as we sat along side them the bird did indeed return and used the bush to launch attack after attack on the passing insects giving us terrific views despite the grey skies.

Lesser Grey Shrike

Lesser Grey Shrike

Two year ticks for our effort moving this years list to 244

New Books on the shelf

I took delivery of three new books this week thanks to Amazon and a donated voucher.

New books

I've read Birders "Tales of a tribe" this week and found it a decent little adventure although if honest I found the back end of the book a bit of struggle to finish with tales of foreign trips etc.
The book does deliver a well painted picture of the birding scene and within it's pages you cant help relate some of the stories to your own trips and dips. It's worth a read and will deliver a comic punch along the way.

The Helms is a book I "needed" in my collection of guides and I have to say it hasn't disappointed. I particularly like the way similar confusion species are laid out on the same pages. This will be going with me on my travels going forward along with my Collins.

Skuas within the Helms Guide

Richard Millington's A Twitchers Diary looks on the face of it a cracking read with superb illustration.
I think I'll enjoy flicking through the diary of a fellow birders number chase and seeing the dedication shown in pursuit of the hobby.

A Twitchers diary

I'm looking forward to reading this one in the week ahead but also looking forward to some time in the field tomorrow too.

More Red-backed Shrike

Just a few more photographs of the magnificent Shrike at Winterton Dunes this weekend.

Red-backed Shrike Winterton Dunes

Red-backed Shrike 

RBS

Red-backed Shrike