Arriving just after 7, the amount of scrub was more than somehow I was expecting; there was lots. I always struggle with strategy at sites like this - seaward side or landward side first? Work a small area thoroughly or cover as much ground as possible? I decided to walk down the seaward side of the dunes, but with only a narrow band of scrub viewable and quite a breeze, it was perhaps not too suprising that I didn't see very much.
In fact, after two hours I hadn't seen much more than 2 Whitethroats and 1 Lesser Whitethroat (plus lots of Mipits and a Peregrine). Walking back up the path through the dunes, things began to pick up with 2 Turtle Doves and a male Brambling.
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| 2 Turtle Doves |
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| Brambling |
Some Goldcrests then made an appearance, with a couple of calling birds making me double back to have a closer look. And lucky they did, as I then heard a call I must confess I didn't recognise - a 'sfeet', vaguely Bullfinch-like. However, the bird that flew across didn't have a white rump, but did have a large white base to a dark tail... and there, sat in a hawthorn, was a Red-breasted Flycatcher!
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| First views of the RBF |
I watched it over the next hour, managing some close views and decent photos (by my standard). A super little bird.
Walking up to Sea View Farm, I didn't see much more; another RBF had been found in the trees around the farm, but I didn't bother looking for it. I followed the dunes to their northern end, adding my only Blackcap of the day, but little else. So onwards to Theddlethorpe, another site I'd never been to before. What was intended to be a quick half-hour reccy turned into two more hours in the dune scrub - great looking habitat, but not much more than Lesser Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs were in evidence. However, with a day off tomorrow (thank you flexi-leave) and more easterlies forecast, I may well be heading back here very soon...
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| Lots of lovely scrub |
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