Broad-billed sandpiper

On Saturday myself and Paul made our way to Breydon water in Norfolk to see the Broad-billed sandpiper, after searching through the large amount of Sandling,Turnstone,Dunlin and Ringed plover it was clear this was going to be my third one I have dipped this smart wader. So we drove south and went looking for some of our British breeding birds and the first stop was Lowestoft harbour for the Kittiwake colony.

Please click on picture to enlarge

Kittiwake



A young Dartford warbler waiting for food. After our cold winter this year the Dartford warblers seem to be doing ok on Dunwich heath.

One of many Woodlark that were seen and heard at Dunwich heath

Good Times

Saffron and Simon King 2008

Martin dipping Ptarmigan 2010 Scotland


Monkey and Jono having just seen the Two Bar Crossbill in 2008

The lads on tour in the Isles of Scilly 2009

The camera never lies 2009

Temmincks Stint at the viewing area

Tonight Dick Jeffree found a Temmincks Stint at the viewing area our first for the site.Its another great passage bird to be found and goes to show what again can turn up on any local patch if you put the effort in. We have been checking the viewing area regularly this spring and this makes up for the times when we see nothing.....Again some poor record shots below.







Steve,Rob,and Dave Mo

Dave,Dick and Paul boy

Whinchat in the paddock

Well....in my last post I was talking about that my next new bird in the Valley would be wader but I couldn't have been more wrong, as on Friday Dave McGough found a Nightingale singing. It's been a couple of years since our last one so is was great to see and hear these beautiful birds return. An afternoon walk at the valley today produced a cracking spring male whinchat in the top paddock on the fence and below is a record shot of it.

Male Whinchat

Willow Warbler

Ton up

This evening at the Ingrebourne, I added Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper, which brings my total so far this year to 100 species for the patch. With the Viewing area looking really good, we could add another wader following on from the weekend birds. The Greenshank was still there tonight with 2 Green Sandpiper.

Garden Warbler
Hobby

Bar-tailed Godwit at the valley

On checking the viewing area this morning at about ten o'clock I had 7 Snipe feeding at the back, which was a nice start but when I walked around to the black bridge to get a different angle on the viewing area a Bar-tailed Godwit was asleep in front of me "Bloody Hell" as its a site first, I rang the others straight away and Dave Mo,Dick Jeffrees and Les quickly came to see it and luckily it stayed for all to see. As for wader records go in the Ingrebourne any wader is good, just hope more are on there way.