Dark Days afore Christmas

Although the weather is not guaranteed this time of the year my sometimes short field excursions paint a albeit dull picture of our countryside. Even in the Beccles area I have recorded 40 odd plants in flower. last week we had our second frost of the autumn and this Ivy was photographed in our garden.

Determination wins

Since the weather turned bad I was determined to get some of the winter birds that grace our shores. my first challenge was to walk a relatively cold miserable birdless walk to see a flock of wintering Twite. My second trip of the week produced 20 birds crouched below the shingle beach by some old dock plants. Woo hoo! a year tick!

On the way back with the wind behind me i stopped to see and note down Sea Mayweed Tripleospermum maritimum and Purple Glasswort salicornia ramossima

Next stop was Minsmere RSPB to see the Grey Phalarope, which was showing very close to west hide, so another year tick.

Windy Winter

Well I have taken some holiday to do some winter birding, today it has been very windy but I wanted to locate the Sibe Chiffchaff at Sparrow's Nest Lowestoft. On arrival it was sheltered and there was a good flock of Long tailed Tits but the council were blowing leaves around (Unsuccessfully.)and the motor was drowning about any possible Chiffchaff calls. I then moved to Kessingland for the Snow Buntings, No luck I could hardly stand in the wind, but a bonus was c250 per hour southerly passage of Dark bellied Brent Geese and flocks of Wigeon. all flying very close inshore. Looking towards Lowestoft the birds were pushed into the large bowl once the cleared the south Pier. I spent two hours looking out of my mates bedroom window facing the sea in a centrally heated room. The sea was so rough I did see five Duniln too but due to poor vis only the geese and ducks were confirmed.

Dark days afor Christmas

By 11am I was free to walk from Kessingland to the Sluice to collect some flowers and seed of Jasione montana for a biologist in Spain who wanted to extract chromosone numbers from them. I took the binoculars along but other than a single Kestrel over the caravan park and two Skylark on the beach, all was quite. On return I saw a wintering flock of Greenfinches on the beach. Of the flowers the Allium neapolitanum was still flowering in a pavement crack in Church road. Too late now for my WFS diary last day hunt.

Later I saw two adult Mute Swans fly over my parents house and I dipped on the Peregrine at Lowestoft grain silo. Hopefully having three dips the Richards Pipit will remain long enough for me to see on Friday.