Saved by the Queens Birthday

Well, the winds dropped and finally some birds showed their faces. Tuesday was an additional day off for me, so I spent the afternoon trespassing at the Nelson Head cattle drinking pool bushes. Redstart, 2+ Spotted Flys, 6 Northern Wheatears, Garden Warbler and 5+ Willow Warblers wasn't a bad haul I suppose (especially when compared to the previous few days). A bunch of Iccy's and Red-backed Shrikes have been turning up along the east coast, there was a Citrine Wag at Titchwell and Mark Golley found a Red-throated Pipit on Blakeney Point, but nothing so exciting for me unfortunately.

Late May Bank Holiday Weekend - what a let down!

It was all looking great for the weekend - easterly winds with fronts moving up from the continent bringing rain to ground those tired migrants. In reality it turned out to be as dull as the water flooding through the ditches from the opening heavens above. The highlight of the weekend was actually found in raptors. At Cley I witnessed a female Marsh Harrier take an adult Black-tailed Godwit. It grabbed hold of it on Simonds Scrape and carried it off to devour in the reedbeds. Also a rather close Barn Owl hunted close to the road at Lessingham (see below) at 10am in the morning.
Migrant-wise, a couple of Spotted Flycatchers and Lesser Whitethroats were all I managed to muster up.