Recurvirostra

Blyth Estuary, Blythburgh, Suffolk

On Saturday evening I had a colour-ringed Avocet feeding on the Blyth behind the White Hart. Such is the level of science I exhibit I am already in receipt of the birds history: 

As can be seen, the bird was ringed down in West Sussex last June at Chichester Harbour, a straight line distance of 250km (south west) from my sighting.

The bird was sighted in Suffolk on Havergate Island back in September 2024 and then at Minsmere back in March of this year. It then spent June down in Hampshire, presumably breeding, at Farlington Marshes Nature Reserve - just to the north of the ringing site. 

The bird did seem to be paired whilst I was watching it, closely associating with another bird, with no other proximate Avocet:

Colour-ringed Avocet - Blythburgh 27th September 2025

Colour-ringed Avocet - Blythburgh 27th September 2025

Colour-ringed Avocet - Blythburgh 27th September 2025

The namesake song of this blog. The Wrong Time by one of my all-time faves Obituary. To good of a version not to share:

The right mindset

The wrong time

The right mindset

The right mindset

Limosa limosa

 

Colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwit - Blythburgh, Tuesday 19th August 2025

Still reading rings and reporting colour-ringed birds. I don't stop to be honest. Just a total beast. 

The latest ornithological triumph is this colour ringed Black-tailed Godwit seen on my beloved Blythburgh patch last week. It was colour ringed red with white spots on the left leg and green, black then yellow above the knee on the right leg. 

The bird was ringed in French France during it's birth year back in September of 2023 at a place called Moëze, which is half way down the west coast. 

It has subsequently been sited at Seaforth Nature Reserve, Liverpool in June 2024 and further south (than the ringing site) at L'Aiguillon-la-Presqu'ile, France in July 2024. 

No sightings thereafter for a full year - until some absolute legend picked it up on the Blyth last Tuesday... 

Colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwit - Blythburgh, Tuesday 19th August 2025

Colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwit - Blythburgh, Tuesday 19th August 2025

Casarca

In some Buddhist countries and the English County of Suffolk the Ruddy Shelduck is protected because its colour is said to resemble that of a monk's robes and the ginger beard of treasured birder Jonny Rankin.

During migration, Ruddy Shelduck have been recorded flying at heights of up to 6,800m in the Himalayas and up to 1m above sea level in Suffolk.

I have personally seen Ruddy Shelduck 4,170m up at Sela Pass, resting on Sela Lake and looking absolutely awesome.

My friendship group got wind that I had seen the Walberswick Ruddy Shelduck today and insisted I share a photo essay:

 

þrjú hundruð

Just one week ago the Boyton Marshes Black Stork took me to 299 for Suffolk and teetering on the edge of County greatness. I hoped the autumn would tip me into three-ton glory, but was not expecting the target to fall just one week, to the day, later.

There was a slight frustration that I only came back from Blythburgh last night. A few miles and a hours walk from the spot where the Zitting Cisticola, aka Fan-tailed Warbler, was zitting its face of this morning. Still, a quick shower and an hour later I was back and in position, daring to be great…

My three hundredth species in the UK was also an August bird - over the border in dirty Norfolk - a Wryneck at Gramborough Hill, with my much missed mate Mal on 23rd August 2011:

Fast forward fourteen years and the three hundredth for my home county has fallen. My home County will of course always be Durham; Land of the Prince Bishops aka the motherland. But as long as I am trapped in Suffolk, I may as well make the most of it and absolutely smash it…

The top Suffolk lister are in the 380’s so I have work to do if I am going to threaten them. My thinking is, if I pursue my self-found list by simply birding my tits off, the Suffolk list will look after itself via time in the field and the odd twitch, like today’s…

The bird was frequenting the Corporation Marshes section of the Walberswick Suffolk Coast National Nature Reserve. Indulging huge, sky high song flights, all the while ‘zitting’ its head off. With the wind and distance involved I was only picking the call up intermittently - enough to pick the bird out and get some, frankly stunning, record shots:

Do get in touch if you would like a print on a tea towel or mouse mat or something.

There was a good congregation of people and people coming and going the hour I was there. I took a cheeky pap, looking back across the marshes as I walked away:

I also indulged a selfie, to capture the three-ton euphoria. Particularly pleased I wore my WASP t-shirt this morning:

A tatooed madman, I'm hell on wheels


Born a wicked child left alone in the fields


My father was the wind, my mother was fire


Raised by the wolves and I grew up wild



2025 half time...

We're half way through the year and I thought it would be timely to share some 2025 photographic highlights. If I had a £1 for every time someone asked me to do photo blogs I'd have £0. 

Anyway, enjoy... 

Slender-billed Gull, Barcelona 12th February 

Black-tailed Godwit, Hayle Estuary, Cornwall 28th February 

Little Owl, Bury St Edmunds 02nd January 

Wren, Lakenheath 02nd January 2025

Griffon Vulture, Pyrenees, Spain 08th February 

Lammergeier, Pyrenees, Spain 08th February

Crossbill, Pyrenees, Spain 08th February

Cetti's Warbler, Lackford Lakes 20th March

Audouin's Gull, Mallorca 10th May

Black Tern, Livermere 12th May

Redstart, Biggin Dale 26th May

Little Tern, Horsey 04th June

Sandwich Tern, Minsmere 14th June

Spotted Flycatcher, Redgrave 21st June

Ring-necked Parakeet, Bury St Edmunds 28th April

Grey Partridge, Bury St Edmunds 28th April

Wallcreeper, Pyrenees, Spain 10th February

Lachmöwe

Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls - Livermere 26th June 2025

June to August is the peak period at Livermere in my oh so humble, expert opinion... 

It is outside of shooting season, firm under foot, large congregations of breeding/ post breeding birds and the potential for almost anything to drop in...

I mean, probably not a Griffon Vulture or a Puffin - but certainly dispersing wildfowl, gulls and waders. 

I've seen some great birds mid-summer; there is currently a Ruddy Shelduck in attendance and Black Tern, Black-necked Grebe, Whinchat and Wood Sandpiper have all been logged in August. There is inevitably others I've forgotten... 

There is also the thrill of the first juvenile Yellow-legged and Mediterranean Gulls of the year. Scaly juvenile Meds are a particular favourite. Expectantly searching out these gems keeps an inland birder away from alcoholism / recreational drugs / midlife crisis during the sultry, summer months.  

Another favoured past time when views allow is ring-reading. Tantalisingly, I've seen one colour ringed Yellow-legged and two colour ringed Black-headed Gulls recently, all of which kept just out ring-reading range. 

There was one Black-headed which did the honourable thing, coming into ring reading range. Turns out it is a German!

Black-headed Gull 'A730'

I gratefully received the birds history - in German - luckily I am completely fluent and could read every word. The bird was ringed on a lake called Binnenalster in Hamburg back in March of 2013. It has since Rotterdam in 2013, 2022 and 2024, Poland in 2017, Birchington, Kent in 2018 and 2019 and finally - it graced the mighty Livermere on 26th June 2025. 

This is a very, very high level of science. 

I am going to leave you with a gratuitous Yellow-legged Gull photo, because there is currently double figures at Livermere and I like them.

Yellow-legged Gull - Livermere 25th June 2025