Suffolk break

A week in Suffolk seems a long way away now but it's only just over a week ago that we returned. It wasn't all birding but Minsmere was visited most days either in the mornings or in the evening( when most of the visitors had gone home). In fact on two occasions at about 7.15pm we were rewarded by badgers feeding in the rhododendron tunnel whilst watching from the car...

Badgers from the 'car hide'

During our visits most of the usual suspects were seen but one of the highlights was a Pectoral Sandpiper that put in an appearance on the East Scrape.

Pectoral Sandpiper

Snipe and Avocet  gave some good views from just in front of the East Scrape Hide

 Snipe

Avocet

 Others were more distant but this Ruff in dramatic plumage raised a few eyebrows from the others in the hide but this was probably the same bird we had seen in previous years.

Whilst there we met a team from the Waveney Ringing Group who had erected mist nets and had caught a pair of Bearded Tits....really great to see these fabulous birds in the hand!

Male

 Female

...and a Reed Warbler

 ...and a Coal Tit

From Island Mere, 3 distant Hobbys were mopping up the dragonflies

...and eventually a Bittern flew briefly between the reedbeds

In the bushes...Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Whitethroat

...and on the feeders, numerous Great Tits

At Thorpeness, where we were staying, I was surprised to find a Tree Sparrow (juv) mixing with a large group of resident House Sparrows. I cannot ever remember seeing this species here during the past 49 years of our visits!

Along the fenceline by the beach bungalows this single Whinchat.

So that's it for another year.

A bit on the quiet side birdwise but suffolk is always pleasant,

.....if only to watch the resident Greylags.