Notes from the valley

Not much to report I'm afraid. The winds, although from the 'wrong' direction, appeared to have pushed a few Gannets closer to the cliffs allowing good scope views. A good mix of Gulls littered the sea, and I don't mind admitting a few just went down as 'large Gull' rather than a species! 3 Turnstone were the highlight, working the tide and the wooden defences for food. A skein of around 60 Pink Footed Geese flew West, and a singleton struggled against the wind 15 minutes later with some catching up to do. A tit flock adjacent to the beach car park was grilled for any late suprises, none were forthcoming despite nice views of the common Tit species together. Why I didn't stop at Wroxham Broad on the way home I'll never know, but one of the 2 Ducks that gave me the run around last winter has returned- The Ring Necked. Here we go again.

Elusive is a word often thrown around to describe both troublesome birds and easterly winds, and there was almost an absence of both today at Warrenhouse Wood, Lowestoft. After being told the bird sounded like a Stonechat, I caught brief flight views of the Dusky Warbler before it disappeared into cover. Glimpses of the bird in the undergrowth were gained, for what it was worth. A lot of waiting around, tape luring from some, and straining of eyes and ears ensued. Brief views of the bird moving through trees as the afternoon shadows lengthened, and that was as good as it got! Cracking bird? I'm Sure it was, although my views didn't really do it justice. Able to confirm it on the 'tack-tack' call more than views. Beautiful day, only low point was the feeling that Autumn was limping to a close. Hopefully said bird will overwinter and allow better views in the near future.