I have just had one of the most splendid short walks for bird spotting in my experience. We went to Woodbridge, for the usual riverside walk (from the station towards Kyson Wood). As you might expect on Boxing Day, there were a large number of groups of people, excitedly chatting to each other, but hardly anyone taking any notice of the cornucopia of bird life to be seen on the mudflats of the Deben on one side of the raised path, and on the shrubs in the marshy land on the other side.
This is my list (all seen within the space of half an hour):
I also saw a bird on a bush in the marshy area - sparrow sized, with brown and black strongly marked wing feathers, and a black head. Any ideas?
Karen (looking forward to buying a camera so I can get some shots of all of these)
Male Reed Bunting
Thanks, Richard - I looked in my RSPB Bird Guide to check, and it is, indeed!
It sounds like it was a great walk Karen & maybe the birds were also making the most of a nice day. A camera is a good idea, but sometimes it's nice just to look with a pair of bins.
That's a list to be proud of for any walk.
Thanks, Nigel. We were so lucky. They were just there!! It must be that the tide was exactly right - half in and half out. I like waders because they don't move too fast, and can't hide amongst leaves and branches. Ideal for beginner like me...
Thanks, Noisette - I love just looking...
Just experimenting with uploading photos. These are just taken with an iPhone...
i think the tide was just right for the birds to eat well!
Those are lovely sightings Karen and good selection of birds in half an hour, well done and happy birding 2019 !
Thanks, Hazy! You, too.
It's funny how some days, you hardly see anything, and others are the opposite. We have been looking at the tide tables, and will try and time our visits to local tidal rivers a couple of hours before high tide - which is when we went on Boxing Day.