Back in Suffolk

We went back to Suffolk this weekend to see my parents. I got up early(ish) on saturday to visit Shotley Marshes, my old patch. Highlights were c.10 Bar-wits, 8 Avocets, 5+ Med Gulls,  a male Marsh Harrier and 2 Cetti's Warblers - any one of which I would've been pleased to find at Collingham... I also notched up 4 species of bush-cricket in just a few yards - both Short- and Long-winged Coneheads, Dark Bush-cricket and Roesel's Bush-cricket.

Short-winged Conehead

Roesel's Bush-cricket

In the afternoon, after lunch in Southwold, we had a couple of hours at Minsmere. We didn't have time to do the Wader Trail, but did a lap of the scrape. A Gargeney from West Hide was perhaps the best thing I found - not exactly rare, but it was nice to pick this out from among the Teal (and that no-one else had done so all day) - even if I couldn't get a pic of it with its head up! 

Juvenile Garganey

There relatively few waders around, but these included at least 6 Greenshank, 2 Spotted Redshank and a Ruff. My mum was delighted with good views of Bearded Tits, whilst I was delighted to see a Stone Curlew. There were also decent numbers of Little Gulls offshore along with c.25 Common Scoters.

Stone Curlew

Back at the carpark, the buddleja's yielded a couple of Grayling, but there was no sign of the Silver-washed Fritillary which has been gracing the area recently.

Grayling