ROLLER - all my dreams come true!!!!

If ONLY this were sharp!!!!!!

Just to give you photographers an idea how difficult this was -
here is the whole picture, uncropped.
Can you see the bird? (elder bush in middle, left side!)

As I sat in my car having my lunch at work I nearly died when I saw 'ROLLER, Suffolk, ESE of Woodbridge' on my iphone!!!!! Also had a text message and a voicemail from a couple of friends - thanks x

Phoned Andy W. - arranged to meet at pub in Easton, near Norwich. I now had 20 minutes of my lunch left to drive home. Flew home and grabbed bins, camera and flask. Flew back to work.

Left work 4.45pm. Got to Easton 5.30pm and parked in a residential road. Stood by main road with my gear and Andy turned up a few minutes later. The fastest, most exciting twitch I have been on!!! Arrived at Upper Hollesley Common, south of MOD at 7.10pm and there was my ROLLER sitting on a fence shimmering turquoise and cinnamon in the evening sunshine!!! I felt like an excited 16 year old - takes years off you when you are watching a bird like this. I can't really explain in words how I felt when I first saw this bird. I am a very, very happy bunny!

Typing this whilst Andy is driving us back to Norwich and looking for a chippie on route!!!

We stayed almost 2 hours watching this exquisitely beautiful bird. It flew round occasionally catching beetles etc, but whenever it flew, it was generally behind the fence and was impossible to focus on with the camera, hence everyone's out of focus shots. Just simply awesome, no words to describe really. Not that many people there considering. Some people may be shocked by this, but I would rather see this roller, than a white-throated robin any day, doesn't even compare, sorry but it doesn't!

Impossible to get good pictures whatever SLR/lens you have, because of distance of approx 130 yards and wire fence in the way at all times. Digiscoping is the better option - looking at other people's pics! Perfectly behaved birders and twitchers - no one moved from the roadside verge to get closer views/pictures. In fact the whole scene was very relaxed. It was frustrating though to witness a jogger in psychedelic yellow top and a bouncy dog, running in front of us all and then straight towards the bird - it didn't move an inch! Lots of nesting birds between roadside verge and the bird, so not appropriate to move any closer anyway.

Left at 9.05pm with Roller still sitting on concrete post behind MOD fence. Left about 6 people there. Andy had to coax me away - didn't want to leave until dark, but we were starving, having not eaten since lunchtime and a long way to drive back. I love mad evenings like this - at Beccles we sat outside at a picnic table at 10pm eating a MacDonalds 'Meal Deal' - in fact I was so hungry I ordered a vege wrap, chips, drink AND a vege burger!!!!!! Can't remember what time we got back to Easton exactly. I transferred stuff to my car and then cruised home to King's Lynn listening to N-Dubz 'Love, Live, Life' to get me home. Arrived back at 11.50pm.

Update: Look at Sean Nixon's stunning photos of this dream bird on: http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/display.cgi?gallery=gallery9

Also see Tony Belsham's equally stunning picture on: http://www.birdguides.com/iris/pictures.asp?comments=y&f=307938

More pictures here also:
http://www.freewebs.com/suffolkbirding/june2011.htm

MASSIVE THANKS TO ANDY W. FOR DRIVING XXX.

I don't normally like June 13th at all - as this was my wedding anniversary. But now its a date I want to remember VERY much!!!

What an evening, what a spring!!!!!!!! AWESOME!!!

GARY WHITE'S FANTASTIC VIDEO!