Saturday 22 May 2010

Does it get any better

After a quiet few weeks punctuated by not a lot, today was simply great!

It was a clear, sunny day with a light northwesterly which turned to the east later. Dad and me went down to Buckenham early morning and were amazed to find 140 Black-tailed Godwits right next to the path. All Icelandic birds feeding furiously, fueling up for their move north. Not a lot else present besides the usual breeding stuff and a fine Barn Owl.

Sitting in the garden at 12.30 waiting for a sandwich and I suddenly heard the unmistakeable call of a Bee-eater. Panic stations! I shot inside and grabbed my bins. I shouted Vicky and told her to come outside and get my Dad. I ran round to the front and scanned frantically. I could still hear the bird as it headed south at height. Sadly, with my restricted view of the sky I could not see it. Despite searching, sadly I could not relocate the bird; it must have headed straight over. I texted Reg just in case he was in the Yare Valley.

After tea, I got a message saying a Bee-eater had been seen at Strumpshaw Fen, only a mile away, mid-morning. Undoubtedly the same bird. So presumably the bird had been around in the area for a couple of hours. If only the news of the Strumpshaw Fen bird had come out immediately, I and others could have searched for it and perhaps pinned it down.

In the evening Dad and me headed back to Strumpshaw on the off chance the Bee-eater would return; it didn't. We did however have fantastic prolonged views of three Otters frolicking in the lagoons and channels on the river side of the reserve. Later, we saw one of them swim across the back of the reception lagoon at dusk. It was a delightful evening to be out, with Bitterns booming, several species of warblers burbling away, Marsh Harriers floating about and pesky Mozzies biting.

A fab day!

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