Borded Straw and Spoonbills Galore!

BORDERED STRAW

I am soooooooooooo glad I didn't go to Hartlepool to the see White-throated Robin. Not been seen all day!!!!!!!!!!!!! But feel really sorry for birders who travelled there today. Very, very unfortunate when people who work Monday to Friday have been waiting and hoping that the bird would stay until the weekend - torture for people when it was seen Friday night - sadly that's the way it goes sometimes.

Went into town to TK Max to buy a Trekmate 'Bivvy Bag' and a 'Storm Shelter' for a little expedition I am planning to do!

Arrived at my parents at lunchtime and spent the afternoon with them. Father still having vertigo problems and not himself, but better than yesterday. Helped father sort through his moth trap, which resulted in a Small Elephant Hawk Moth, a Flamed Shoulder, Buff Ermine, Burnished Brass and a BORDERED STRAW amongst others (see pics). Father also told me that he had the 2nd UK Eastern Borded Straw in Sheringham on 28th May 1958 (2nd UK record) and another in 3rd June 1958.

Burnished Brass.

Small Elephant Hawkmoth.

Flamed Shoulder.

Buff Ermine.

Gun Hill, Burnham Overy Staithe — 6.10pm to 9pm

A wonderful evening walk and I didn't pass a single person! Several sedge warblers along the main path and mute swans with goslings. At the end of the main sea wall (which they are re-building) a Spoonbill flew over west and landed on Scolthead Island at 7.55pm. Several brightly coloured linnets in the sueda bushes. Walked all round the end of Gun Hill trying to magic up a male White-throated Robin or something! Watched the little terns over Scolt Head. Another Spoonbill west at 8pm on the way back. On the pool east of the main bank 21 Black tailed Godwits, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 tufted duck, 3 avocets, a cormorant, 9 coots, 3 redshanks and my third Spoonbill 'spooning' away in the evening sunlight! A reed bunting and a linnet sat on a hawthorn bush in the reed bed. As the sun was setting and shimmering a burnished gold blanket over the mudflats, a redshank stood on top of a post calling. 2 cuckoos chased each other alongside the lower path and 2 little egrets flew over west. 2 barn owls and a marsh harrier were flying round the marshes and there were tons of swifts flying around at 8.30pm.

On the way home through Stanhoe a Little Owl was sitting on a telegraph pole!

Sedge Warbler.

Spoonbills.

Linnets.

Redshanks.

Sun setting casting a gold bronze glow over the mudflats.

Sun setting over Burnham Overy Marshes.



Sun setting over Burnham Overy Marshes. (iphone)