Icing on the cake

There I was, stood on the cliff top looking longingly west.

The pager went off late morning to say four Glossy Ibis (or should it be ibis’s or ibides or even ibes? Mmm doesn’t sound right … let’s stick with Ibis) … four Glossy Ibis were flying east along the coast at Hunstanton. Then Titchwell, then Stiffkey. I was on the cliff top at Trimingham. They were definitely heading my way.

Next message: past Cley. I phoned Trevor. He was elated, 300 up for his garden … what a list. He said they were still heading east just offshore when he’d seen them from outside his back door. The next pager message said they had just past Beeston Bump; the next, West Runton. I stared hard into the distance. The phone went off. It was Ben. They had just passed Cromer Pier. Thank you Ben. I strained my eyes. They must be visible now… surely. Here they are! No … four Teal. Time never dragged so slow. I must have missed them. Maybe they had flown North or maybe they had decided to cut inland. Then … beating wings, just above the sea, here they are relentlessly heading east; Holland bound. I smiled to myself. Four Glossy Ibis … in the bag! … and what was this; a Short Eared Owl in off the sea. Almost over my shoulder and pitched into the plantation. That had to be the icing on the cake.

Not the best photos I’ve ever taken but I hope they convey the moment.

A Blue Tale

Having spent much of one morning after a fall of birds last week trying to find my own Red flanked Bluetail and only turning up a few ancillary birds I decided I would go and photograph the bird seen at Happisburgh. Although a late Spotted Flycatcher (eastern race?), Snow Bunting, Redstart, a heap of Brambling and a nice brown crowned eastern race Lesser Whitethroat are all good to see locally … they don’t hold a candle to a Bluetail.