Having missed the American Bittern at Carlton Marshes, fortuitously close to our weekend break in Kessingland, the opportunity to spend more time not seeing this bird was too good to miss so when Mark H offered a trip on Monday afternoon I snapped it up. Having missed the bird again there was nothing to do but go back on Saturday, after 13hrs total, I did pick the bird up on it's first early morning flight. However the photo above is misleading, Mark did very well to grab a shot - I didn't see it like this, although everyone else around me did. Something went wrong, I couldn't find it, I didn't panic but as the crowd ooeed and arggghhedd and cameras fired off like machine guns it became a real possibility after 15 seconds or so that I was going to miss out and be left hopelessly looking in all the wrong bits of sedge for this skulker. I don't think it's ever happened to me before but there you go, it has now, not sure there's anything to learn from the experience. What then to do?
The decision was a swift one as Mark received a heads up that an adult Bonaparte's Gull, a long predicted first for Cambridgeshire had been found at Fen Drayton. We twitched...again. This time the bird was much more confiding and on show throughout allowing us to drink in the Nearctic gull. On the way home a smart 2CY Little Gull was briefly over the settling beds and a Little-Ringed Plover was on the boathouse flash.
Today Ben and I headed out for an afternoon scout along the washes. The water levels are high although we did manage to pick up a Grey Plover on a flooded field.A freshly arrived Lesser Whitethroat was rattling its way Northwards along the budding hedgerows, lovely to watch and listen to. Spring is sprung.
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