Woodchat shrike , Minsmere ,Winterton & buckenham marshes

 A quick round up of what ive been seeing this past week or so. Me and Matt popped down to Suffolk to get my first Woodchat Shrike . We got to Westhall around 11 am and had just missed it by few minutes but were told it had just gone down among the dung heap ( nice!) . We got set up , chatting to the locals and waited. After around half hour( in which time 4 or 5 birders had been and gone) a birder had it above him on the telegraph wires . What a bird . I mean who wouldn't love seeing such a striking colourful bird . With it's White and black body , super black eye band & that it's rusty red crown. Superb ! After a few more pictures and views we decided to head to Minsmere.



Woodchat Shrike(226)



Woodchat Shrike(226)

 Minsmere-  At entrance we pulled in to the known area of bushes to see if we could get a Nightingale . Well after a few minutes I spotted a singing Nightingale  out in the open for around half a minute before dropping down to the next bush.With that in the bag we headed down to the Island Mere Hide . We were greeted with noisy Reed warblers and a stunning male Marsh Harrier over the reeds..A common Snipe in front of hide and I saw a flying Bittern over reeds(always nice) . I then spotted a Hobby . A quick shout and a few others got on it too . First of the year and good sign that spring is well under way! We decided to head back and on doing so a few Red deer on the Heath were grazing. Before heading straight home  I headed to Whitlingham cp for a butchers over the broad and  was rewarded as i got my first Swift !  4 in fact . I had wanted to see one by end of  April but this was 1 st May ( so hopefully a day earlier next year!)
  Next trip out was to Winterton for hoopoe . I didn't see it but did get White Wagtail and cracking Kestrel on a fence post which made for some good pictures.

 On to the beach and Sheducks overhead and a Hobby through the south dunes. Seawatch brought me 2x Sandwich Terns and 15+ Bar tail Godwits going East along the shoreline. As usual i nipped into Buckenham marshes on my way home  for a quick butchers but  not much from hide until I went outside and searched along the fence line and was rewarded by finding a female Black Redstart ! Beautiful bird just around the cattle enclosure area. It soon flew off further along the fence line. I headed home and  checked to see if a Swift had made it as far as my street ..... not yet but its just a matter of time no doubt!
 Shaky