Norfolk Surfie!

15/11/14

Skipping a fair number of days birding locally, my next 'full day birding' was in mid November, when with the usual crew we again headed east, and found ourselves in Cambridgeshire, scouring some rather birdless agricultural fields (admittedly with a large area of set aside adjacent) for the Richards Pipit that had been knocking around. After a good while searching, we decided to head off further east, via Guyhirn where we managed views of a superb flock of 8 Common Crane as they fed in roadside fields. It was just a shame the fog had started to descend and it hindered viewing somewhat! 

We continued east, passing into the equally superb birding county that is Norfolk and to Cley Marshes!

Walking the east bank we were soon clocking up the birds, Bearded Tits pinging and showing well in the reedbed, Brent Geese and Marsh Harrier a permanent fixture in the sky, and a loud drawn out wheezy call overhead led us onto a single Twite as it flew over east.

Our main target however (as with many of our recent visits) was the sea and we soon started scanning for Auks and Skuas. Well, we found 5 Auks, however non were particularly small and it was clear that their Arctic cousins just weren't moving today. The swells had its usual and ever-present Red-throated Divers, but things were livened up by a drake Eider flying past and the appearance of 2 adult Little Gull, always a great addition to any day list! 

 A rather pointless visit to Salthouse followed before we headed back west to Holkham, where following a very long and sandy walk we eventually found a large flock of Common Scoter loafting and feeding offshore. We set about scanning, and soon found multiple Velvet Scoter, including some absolutely stunning drakes. Eventually we setted on a total of 10+ of these stunning seabirds!

 With time, among a party of Velvets we picked out our 'yank' target. A drake SURF SCOTER! Nice! 

Personally not even a year tick for me having seen 3 off Pensarn earlier in the year however the views off Holkham were significantly closer! That bill and the white patches stood out a mile, however with sea fog arriving, it was good we arrived when we did and not any time after! 

Drake Surf Scoter

Surf Scoter among Velvets and a few Commons

With the light fading, I tried to make a last minute race to the end of the wood to look for the long staying Rough-legged Buzzard, but as we neared the end of the wood the crew decided to turn around and I dipped for the 4th time this year. Maybe one day.

MB

Norfolk! Steppe Grey Shrike! (3-5/10/14)

It was with great kindness that I was offered a weekend away in Norfolk by a local birding family and recent birding partners in the start of October, and it was eagerly anticipated!

 

Following the long drive across over to mid Norfolk, we first stopped at Sculthorpe Moor NR, where a Purple Heron had been residing. However, it was clear very quickly that the bird had not been seen, with gloomy faces all around, and unfortunately, there was very little to make anyone too exited.

 

A Golden Plover flew over, as did a Fieldfare, but after what felt like a painfully long time on the reserve we decided to leave, knowing our luck would be better tried elsewhere.

 

So we moved quickly onto Cley Marshes, which improved the day somewhat very quickly. Even from just our first glances at the sea, it was clear that there was significant amounts of Geese moving, with hundreds of Brent Geese flying offshore, flock after flock!

Similarly, Wigeon, Teal and Common Scoter were all moving, proving very easily that winter was on its way. 2 drake Eider flew past offshore. which was a long awaited year tick after missing them on every coastal visit this year!

Small numbers of Red-throated Diver had started to appear, with some feeding relatively close in as the tide rose. Also on the upcoming tide, 2 Guillemot drifted past.

 

 

Good numbers of ducks and waders kept us entertained as they flew around the marshes, constantly harassed by 4 hunting Marsh Harriers.

 

One of the spectacles of North Norfolk I had always wanted to experience though was that of the Pink-footed Goose roost. With a few small to medium sized flocks seen flying over during the day, we fancied our luck at Burnham Ovary Marshes, and we were not disappointed.

 

We arrived with plenty of time to spare, and we quickly located the Black-necked Grebe on the pool next to the seawall, as well as good numbers of waders, which were commuting between the pool and the estuary behind us. A few Snipe probed the reeded edges of the pool, and a Water Rail sauntered across the gap as the sun began to set, and the real show began!

 

With the light fading, we very quickly noticed large numbers of Little Egret, Grey Heron and particularly Cormorant flying towards Holkham. Eventually, we spotted another of our targets for the weekend, 3 very distant Spoonbill as they dropped into roost with the other birds in the trees. While these birds were flying east, the Marsh Harriers were going the opposite way, and 8 flew west as we stood vigil on this high point.

 

The Starlings started to murmerate in front of us, and then it began.

 

Geese!

 

And more Geese...

And more..

 

By nightfall, and estimated 15,000 Pink-footed Geese had dropped in to roost at Holkham, a simply breathtaking spectacle!

Add to this the superb flight views of two Barn Owls, this is why we love Norfolk right?

 

 

We were up bright and early the next morning, and our first destination of the day was the superb site of Holme Dunes NNR. The tide was out, but on the turn, so the attention turned to scanning the beach and the sea. Again, large numbers of Brent Geese were moving, as were Wigeon and Teal, but we were treated to a nice range of other species, 3 Eider powered past, as did a female Red-breasted Merganser. It was also a pleasure to see 3 each of Arctic and Sandwich Tern, both moving east along the shoreline, but unfortunately the real targets eluded us. On the water, Red-throated Divers, Great crested Grebes and a good count of 7 Guillemot were bobbing about like corks.

 

The lack of our targets however was more than made up for by the huge numbers of birds on the beach. Hundreds upon hundreds of waders. Huge spiralling flocks of Knot, with smaller numbers of all the regular seashore species. More than enough to keep us midlanders happy!

We did have a Spotted Redshank and a Whimbrel fly over calling though, and 2 Greenshanks were feeding on the pools. Among the extensive Gull flocks feeding on the wet sand, a single adult Mediterranean Gull added some variety.

 

Moving away from the sea, our attention turned to migrants, and it was obvious (as we had predicted), with the winds in the wrong direction, and clear conditions, we were not going to be in for a 'migrant fest' this weekend. However a rather dapper Whinchat did its best to keep us entertained, with little bit ands bobs vismigging over.

 

Following a drive around Choesley, where at least 5 Grey Partridge, 2 Golden Plover and 2 Yellowhammer were found we headed to the mecca that is Titchwell RSPB.

 

We covered both the pools and the sea, with good numbers of wildfowl being present. The reeds adjacent to the benches was 'alive' with 'Pings', and it didn't take long for its source to appear, and we were treated to some good flight views of at least 5 Bearded Tits. A single Common Tern flew past offshore, as well as the now expected Red-throated Divers. With a rather daunting weather system developing though, we hot footed it back to the car.

 

 

As planned, after dumping a lot of rain on Norfolk, and as we had lunch back at the Hostel in Burnham Norton, the clouds broke, and it was a beautiful day once more!

 

Being just down the road, we moved back to Titchwell RSPB for the high tide and Harrier roost.

As you come to expect with Titchwell, a number of the birds are very habituated to humans.

 

A Little Egret shown well..

 

As did a rather smart Bar-tailed Godwit.

Scanning the muddy shorelines led us onto the two Little Stints which we had missed earlier in the day, but as expected, much was repeated from earlier in the day. 3 Common Scoter were seen from the beach, as was 2 Guillemot, but Skuas were still managing to avoid us.

 

We moved back to the reedbeds, where Bearded Tits were pinging, Cetti's Warblers singing, with both Marsh Harriers and Starlings pursuing in aerial acrobatics as they jostled for roosting spots.

 

It was a rather stunning sunset also!

With a slight change in wind direction forecast for our final day, we planned our attack strategy, and were again out by dawn....

 

Sunrise over Burnham Ovary was rather spectacular, with thousands of Geese, Wildfowl and wading birds flying out of their roosts. Pink-feet were calling as we got out the car in still near darkness and a single Barn Owl took its last flight of the night as we walked down the track.

Over 100 Little Egrets flew past us as we stood scanning from the raised viewpoint. 70 Egyptian Geese flew off the pool, where the Black-necked Grebe was still present. The same great variety of waders was present as our last visit as we slowly made our way along the embankment.

 

A few birds flicked up onto the fencelines as we walked, Meadow Pipits and Stonechats, and eventually we found our first 'migrants' of the day, 2 Wheatear.

 

 

A large covey of Grey Partridge were flushed from behind a ridge, which then flew out into the fields opposite where they dropped in and became invisible once more.

We moved out into the dunes to check Gun Hill and the sea. A quick scan along the shoreline revealed the expected waders, and the sea was again rather quiet, other than a passing flock of Sandwich Tern.

Unfortunately, our migrant search came a blank, and the scrub held very little. Moving back towards the car, a party of Bearded Tits was pinging in the still conditions.

 

Wanting to be that little closer to home, we decided to move onto Titchwell RSPB, where we had heard there had been a bit of movement on the sea with some Whooper Swans and Little Gulls. Moving up the track, we managed to log all the species we did the previous day, including the 2 Little Stint again as we moved up towards the beach. Perched distantly atop the Sueada on Thornham marsh, a Whinchat and a Stonechat perched side by side.

 

With a large crowd overlooking the sea, I jokingly made a comment about them no doubt having seen multiple Skua's fly past this morning as we walked past, to which a lady replied to her friend "Did you see the Skua's (insert the friends name)".

 

As you would expect, I took this as somewhat of a joke, but the look on the old couples faces proved otherwise.

They had had a passage of Skuas that morning!!

Doh!

 

Having recounted my woeful story about dipping them all weekend, I quickly got a reply saying that someone was watching one on the water now!

Panic!

 

Scope set up, and then it flew....

 

Directly into my scope view! A juvenile Arctic Skua! Ok, not a Pom or a Great as I had hoped, or even a Long tailed as I have dreamt, but it was a Skua!

 

With a Black Redstart having been reported out at Thornham point, we bode farewell to the large crowd (no doubt missing a bucketload of Skuas going by our luck) and headed out there. Unfortunately I didn't see anything of it, however a couple of the group did. I rejoined the group, but before we went looking for it again, Liz shouted out some rather unexpected news. A possible Steppe Grey Shrike had just been reported near where we had been this morning!

 

Mega eek!

 

Decisions were made. At worst it would be a Great Grey, so we went for it, wading through mud, across dunes, jumping down a 15ft cliff where the dunes had been washed away and the long 2km trek back to the car! Some real paramilitary action!

 

Nobody knew about the Shrike as we walked back to the car, so we mentioned it as we walked briskly past. It was rather fun watching people spinning on their heals and changing course for the car park!

 

A drive later, and another brisk walk and there it was!

Perched distantly on a hawthorn in the middle of a field, a STEPPE GREY SHRIKE!!

 

Even from this distance, it was rather obvious. The colour hues to its plumage were off in every respect. It was almost a peachy/ sandy colour! It obviously had more white in the wings, but I just couldn't see the lores due to the distance.

 

But that didn't matter, as after being ousted from its perch by a Kestrel, the bird repeatedly moved closer to the ever increasing crowd. Until eventually, you were getting simply stunning views!

 

No denying those pale lores!! 

 

What a perfect way to end the weekend!

 

Again, a huge thanks to Rob, Liz and Luke for a great weekend! Some great birding was had! I'm sure one day I'll get to pay you back.

 

Same time next year?

 

MB

Savi's in the bag!

8/06/14

With the continued presence of the Savi's Warbler at Newport Wetlands, and with it being only an hour and a half down the road it was worth the effort (It takes that amount of time to reach some midlands sites, never mind south Wales!)

 

Sadly however, with it having been around for a number of weeks, it had become much more elusive, and that proved so true!

 

Hours were spent standing adjacent to the area the bird had been seen in, and there was very little activity. Bearded Tits could be heard 'pinging' from many stands of reed around us, and brief flight views proved a welcomed distraction to what was rather a tedious wait.

 

As I said though, hours passed, and there was still nothing, the only hope resting on the fact the bird had been heard very early that morning! Time dragged on, a few Little Egrets flew past but it was hard to keep staring at a seemingly empty patch of reeds.

 

Eventually I cracked, and walked off, and I continued on, and still, saw very little. But eventually a couple of long tailed birds could be seen flicking across the tops of the reeds, and as I was standing behind one of the screens, a Bearded Tit flew in  and dropped down on the edge of the reeds, showing very well!

I had left my scope back at the crowd which was just down the track, so I only had my bins to take photos. But still, I managed a few photos which are my first of the species!

 

 

 
 

 

Feeling quite happy with that, I trudged back to the crowd.

 

A bird started moving in the reeds below us, and then it happened!

It reeled!

 

The dry wooden rattle rang out for a short time, and then it went silent, as it slowly moved through the reedbed, where it could be seen as it slinked its way back into the depths of the reedbed! And that was it, 3 hours for less than 10 seconds, not particularly satisfying considering views other people had been getting, but non the less, it was the SAVI'S WARBLER! Finally!

 

Another significant time followed, but still it steadfastly refused to show, so it was time to head back to the car. However, one last decent find was a singing Lesser Whitethroat along the track back to the visitor centre.

 

MB

NORFOLK! Monty's, Dott's and summer migrants

10/05/14

With many of our summer migrants arriving en mass now, and a few scarcer birds appearing, we, that is Mike, Jarad, Neil and me, made plans to head east in the hope of some great birding, and Norfolk, as always, lived up to its usual standards!

 

Our first port of call was right on the county boundary, as it is renowned for a strange and somewhat range restricted wading bird which finds the short grass of the Norfolk and Suffolk Brecklands to its liking!

 

We walked through one of the many Pine woodlands in the area to the hide, where we added a few birds to our day list that we may struggle with elsewhere, and a high pitched song from high up a Pine revealed itself to be a male Spotted Flycatcher.

 

 

The hide was not much further so I carried on, and it was only a short time scanning before a STONE CURLEW was in the scope. Also since the last time I was at this location, the birds were being far more co-operative, they were very mobile, running around, chasing, displaying to each other and calling. Much more enjoyable than watching a snoozy brown blob in a ditch.

For a few minutes, 3 of the birds, a pair and a single intruder started displaying and posing to each other, which was amusing to watch, but it was all talk (or should that be posturing) and no action, and after a while, the single bird crept off after being kicked off by the other birds.
 

One of the birds however was doing its usual sitting in a ditch, but it was still giving decent views.
 

 

 

 

 Having completed a single lap of the Wolferton Triangle, to the usual failure of seeing nothing, we carried on, with our next location being Choelsley Barns as we wanted to catch up with some farmland birds. We stopped next to a likely looking field, and it didn't take long to pick up a Grey Partridge working its way along the set aside margin. Also present were larger numbers of Red-legged Partridge.
A long staying party of DOTTEREL were still also in residence, and we made a stop at the crowd, and we had nice views of the birds as they fed in fields adjacent to the road. Varying numbers have been present during their time of residence, but we managed to count 8, including a few smart looking females. Having life ticked them earlier in the spring, it felt somewhat surreal to be watching my 2nd flock in just over as many weeks, totalling 20 birds.

 

We failed to find our Dove targets, but a distant singing Corn Bunting perched on overhead wires briefly, and a Yellowhammer was also singing its heart out.

 

It was next onto the Mecca, and a very short car journey led us to Titchwell RSPB, where we quickly made our way out onto the marshes. We had barely left the woodland before we were treated to views of 3 RED-CRESTED POCHARD as they flew past us across the track. They picked down on the pool to the west of the track where in total 6 of these stunning flame headed ducks were feeding, 4 of which were actually 'flame headed' males.

 

It was just before making a move to head to the beach, two small ducks flew up off of the reeds, and pitched down on the small reeded pool adjacent to the track, a pair of GARGANEY! They gave excellent views but were almost always obscured, but I managed by far the best views of Garganey I have ever managed, and the drake in particular was a rather stunning example of these delectable chocolate coloured and cream striped migrant dabblers. 

 

A Little Tern was feeding over the brackish marsh, and a few more were out over the sea, but otherwhys our attempt at a seawatch was quite an uncomfortable affair. Strong winds from the southwest were whipping up the sand making focusing on flying seabirds almost impossible. However, we did pick up a Fulmar and a Gannet among a variety of Tern species. 2 female Common Scoter were showing on the water. We quickly gave up, knowing our luck would be better tried elsewhere. Although I managed to avoid any scratches on the lenses of both my bins and scope, my phone screen is now in quite a state due to the 'sandstorm'.

We moved back to the Parrinder hide, where we picked up a number of decent birds. A sleepy Spoonbill was showing distantly in the SE corner of the marsh and a number of waders and ducks were dotted around. A Greenshank was feeding in the shallows, and a number of Yellow Wagtails were on the move!

We moved off from Titchwell, and parked in an area of extensive arable farmland. A Grey Partridge was calling, 3 Marsh Harriers quartering and 2 Yellow Wagtails were flying.
However, what we were looking for couldn't be found, and we spent some time scanning, but with a seemingly vicious looking thunderstorm heading our way, we were contemplating leaving, and infact, were putting our scopes in the car when we were shouted over, and on the adjacent hillside, an absolutely ridiculously stunning male MONTAGU'S HARRIER was quartering! A friggin MONTYS!!
 

 

As many people will know, I have a fondness to Birds of Prey, and for many years I have wanted to catch up with one of these gorgeous elegant Harriers, so to have finally got one in the scope was such an immense buzz!

As the UK's rarest breeding raptor, we really had a stroke of luck to see it, and for the next 10 minutes, we were treated to great views as it hunted low over an area of set aside, showing off its pale grey upperwing, black primarys and secondary bar.

 

It was really a moment to savour! But, with the arrival of the thunderstorm, which as we had guessed really was fairly violent, the Harrier flew off low over the hedgeline, and with that we decided to head off to hopefully dodge the rain. We had driven only a few hundred meters before our escape was realised and it poured it down!

From the massive high of the harrier, we moved onwards to Cley NWT, where it had again reverted back to bright sunshine!
Our main targets here sadly had been flushed by a Hobby not long before, and were not seen for the remainder of the day, which was unfortunate, and many of the birds were 'repeats' from Titchwell. The main highlight probably goes to decent flight views of 3 Bearded Tits along the boardwalk, which often flew up and 'pinged' across the top of the reed's before dropping back down!

A colour ringed Spoonbill dropped in, but ran off into long grass before I could judge the ring colours.

 

 

Other than 2 Greenshank, the pools were quiet so we moved up onto the shingle bank, where large numbers of Sandwich Tern were moving, including a single Little Tern. Further out at sea 5 Gannet we diving and around 30 Common Scoter were moving around, but any further interest was limited.

A Whimbrel flew past calling, which added to the day list, and a Wheatear in the Eye field was also new for the day!

 

With our day now at an end, and on the homeward journey, we totted up our daylist, and between the 4 of us, we managed 112 species, and I personally managed 107, a couple of birds behind my own personal day list record, but honestly I can say it was an awesome day!

 

As I opened the post with! Norfolk came up with the goods again!

MB

PACIFIC SWIFT!

15/06/13

The group from the last excursion out East had again planned to visit Lakenheath RSPB in search of Golden Orioles, however, some bad fortune had 2 of our group dropping out, leaving just the two of us to head east and scour the Marshes.

Again, a 5am start had us arriving at Lakenheath before 8 am, and we were soon standing adjacent to the Black Poplars in the hope of catching a ear-full of melodious Golden Oriole song. With the strong gusts, it made listening very hard, with the rustle of the leaves constantly drowning out the birdsong. Our optimism wasn't particularly high, the birds had been very elusive for much of the spring and there had been no sign for days! Never a good sign when on the search for Orioles. After slowly walking past all 3 of the Poplar Wood's, and having drawn a blank, we walked towards the Joist Fen viewpoint.

Similarly to the last visit, MARSH HARRIER did seem to be hunting over every section of reeds possible, and at one point, 7 birds were up at once, a stunning sight!

In my mind, Marsh Harrier must surely rate as one of the best Raptors, such graceful flyers, and actually very good looking also. 

We were setting into a regular routine of scanning the reeds once we had reached the viewpoint, dodging the rain by moving to the other side of the wall. In one of these avoiding rain sessions, a female CUCKOO landed on a bush in the middle of the reeds.

Once another rainstorm had passed, i quickly walked to the other side, and had a scan, as i panned two birds 'got up' out of the reeds briefly, small, long tailed, and very quick. Within a second, they were back down. A short wait ensured, and one of the birds flew up again, long tailed, orange bodied and blue headed.

BEARDED TIT!

Quickly we both were onto the birds, and we had sporadic views for the next 30 minuites or so, before strong winds pushed them down into the reedbed.

2 BITTERN got up out of the reeds, one only very briefly, but the other up for a good 15 seconds or so as it flew a fairly long distance across the reedbed. Similarly, a Egyptian Goose also did the same, before dropping into the reedbed.

My companions phone bleeped with a bird news update, and upon opening found it to contain that dreamed for first word.

MEGA!

The thing that really got us going though was the next word, SUFFOLK!

"10:50, MEGA, SUFFOLK, PACIFIC SWIFT HAWKING OVER TRIMLEY MARSHES"

The inevitable look followed, part shock, part fear, and probably part desire, and it was clear what was going through both our minds, and the expected question soon spilled out "We gonna try?"

"Hell yes!"

There is simply no excuse not to try, but the odd's were well and truly stacked against us, been the furthest point from the car park (almost 3 miles), and then we had to find the location in the SatNav, and then drive to the site, the chances didn't look amazing, furthermore, the fact it was a Swift we were twitching seemed almost idiotic, knowing that literally any second the bird could fly, never to be refound.

But off we set, with a fairly brisk walk back to the car, in which time i managed to ask for updates on the bird. Misreading the reply i took in the walk from the carpark to the marshes at Trimley to be 1.5 miles each way, as the text said 3 miles total...

How wrong i was...

With the SatNav set, and reading 1 hour to the carpark on Cordys Lane we went...

The scene upon arrival was fairly manic, with the small carpark and almost half the length of Cordys lane covered in parked cars. Twitchers running past, legs whirring, swearing and sweating.

Rather than choosing the rather steriotypical twitcher type, we took the decision to have a fairly brisk walk to the pools, but not to break out into a sprint, and a good thing too, because that supposed 1.5 mile walk turned out to only the one track, and it was a full 3 miles to the bird! Agghhhh

Even just 'brisk walking' a sweat started to develop on the brow, the humid conditions obviously not helping. The paths just seemed to go on, and on, but the end never seemed to get any nearer. Only once i had reached the gigantic cranes on our left hand side did i finally start to crack, we must be getting closer now? Cant be much further?, maybe just up the tempo a little?.

My upping the tempo pushed my 'brisk walk' to nearly the pace of a slow jog, and finally i started seeing the Marshes, "Up onto the Sea-wall" was uttered to me as i passed the first hide, "Not much further!" and finally, as i rounded the final bend, the typical 'scrum' had developed, but it was still a further few hundred meters, aghhhh!

Soon i found myself clambering up a fairly slippery grass sea-wall before being hammered by a series of directions, "Going left, Now right, low down, Climbing, back against the sky, over the Shelducks, Low down".

Just training my bins on as many Swifts as possible, i briefly glimpsed a white rump.

"PACIFIC SWIFT!"

In my rush, i had left my partner behind a good way, and having had a decent view of the bird signaled him to scrambled here quick!

Ecstatic, elation, relief!

Not long after, we were both enjoying great views of this superb Asiatic Mega as it hawked low across the open water of the small estuary-side marsh. Having looked at Pacific Swift ID following the Spurn Bird i tried to recount plumage feature. White rump, easy, check, larger white throat patch, check, better defined throat patch, check, longer and more forked tail, check. That was all i could remember, but i was soon picking the bird up head on, and i kept doing it. Why?

The reason became apparent after some scrutiny, as it became clear that the bird had a slightly broader head and longer wings that Common Swift, creating a 'thinner' bodied look, while in fact it was just an illusion due to the birds head size and longer tail. 

Wanting a photo of my first true 'MEGA', i grabbed for my scope, to which a few 'You'll be lucky to get one" and "Good luck" comments were made, but i started snapping away. Soon, the birds habits became obvious, and with some help from the birders around me, they often called out when the bird was feeding low over its favored area of open water, allowing me to 'spray and pray' that the bird would be in one of the pictures.

An hour or so later, mixing periods of photo taking and studying, and simply watching, i managed to get a few shots.

Having been watching the bird for about 1 1/2 hours, the bird suddenly shot off at 3pm, seemingly flying towards the docks and disappeared, soon after, an almightly rainstorm hit, drenching everybody, my raincoat suddenly came in handy after moaning about carrying it all that way in boiling heat on the way down. Soon through, it was leaking, and my jacket and jeans became soaked. With the bird having been gone for nearly 30 minuites, we decided to part from the site to escape the rain.

Getting back to the car, soaked to the bone, cold and shivering, could i care less?

Not at all, 

A 7th for Britain, and a practically untwitchable bird in the past, with the last gettable bird been decades ago. This was made even better when just as we approached the car park, a friend who was in the crowd (who arrived after the birds had gone) text to say that the bird was again showing.

Brief scans around the Marshes also revealed a male Marsh Harrier, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 16 Avocet and a fly over Little Egret!

But No! It didn't end there. Stopping in a layby not far away to have some food, i heard a few familiar notes ring out from the scrub beside us. That sounded like a Nightingale....

And then it belted out its distinctive song from right beside the car, a male NIGHTINGALE!

After a little bit, we had brief views of the male, and also a presumed female bird in the verge hawthorns, what a way to end the days birding!

MB