Costa Del Suffolk, 30/03/10

Never again will I write off the month of March.

Jetted over to Westleton Heath yesterday afternoon. Passed a few Kestrels on the way; nope, not quite. Genuinely nervous in the car, this was the first twitch I had been on in ages. Parked up just off the road and made my way over to the small crowd on the ridge. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait too long until my and Suffolk's first Lesser Kestrel put in a satisfying if distant performance. It appeared to be taking insects from the ground and then feeing on various posts. Amazing brick red colour contrasted with an almost blue-looking tail. Got it! The Great Grey Shrike nearby was a nice sideshow for when the Kestrel was not on view.

Tried my luck for the Pallid Swift at Kessingland. 30 blokes loitering at the gates of a sewage works, how must that have looked?! No luck. Saw one birder checking the church for roosting swifts though, top birding!

What a few days! Keep an eye on those charts would be the lesson learnt here.

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Notes from the valley

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