In Loving Memory....

Thats it then, this web site is dead, it is deceased, it is no more!After 10 years of residence and nearly four years(!) of blogging WildlifeAylmerton comes to a close. Synomonous with dodgey bird photography and probably even dodgier spelling, I'ld like to thank those of you who took time to have a look occationally, and a bigger thanks to those who visited regularly and even got in touch. I hope for the ley-men out there, the contents of this blog sparked even a little interest in the wonders of nature, and the fact that you don't have to travel thousands of miles to see wonderful things. For the birders, I hope, apart from the odd stringy report (bloody Hen Harriers in July...ridiculous!) that my reports were reliable and gave a good account of real birding. I do leave with some great memories from this little parish, suffice to say that Aylmerton wasn't well known as a birding site prior to our arrival but, the next time there is a Honey Buzzard influx, I know where I'll be the following morning! However, all is not lost for those looking for a cure to insomnia because a new house means a new web site! So my grainy pics and 3 day late reports will still enter d'tiniternet!

Follow if you dare (or can be bothered)......

http://sites.google.com/site/tg23birdininabox/

Taking the gloss off....

The past two days have seen me having appointments south of Norwich, and after missing out yesterday, I connected with one of three of the Glossy Ibis that have been present at Caister St.Edmunds for nearly a week. unfortunately I flushed the bird from close quarters along the river there, giving great flight views and photo opportunity-if had realised that the image stabilisation wasn't on! What a doofus!

Glossy Ibis...don't enlarge for crap pic!

Reconnaissance

After work I hit the coast line as close to our new house as is practicable, which took me to Trimingham. A look in the wood here held single Willow warbler along with Great Tit 2, Blue Tit, and Long-tailed Tit 2. Some great habitat here and one to keep an eye on. Walking along the cliff top had single Wheatear and best of all three fairly confiding Snow Bunting

Osprey

On way to work this morning I pulled over at Haworth Hall by the lakes to see if any waders had dropped in - nothing, but as I tur around a cracking Osprey flew across and disappeared behind the trees.

SBO tick

Lunch time saw me at Filby Broad, I was hoping to may be jam inon an Osprey, it was very warm with cotton thick cumulus cloud, ideal for raptors. No fish-eater here though, but scanning behind the broad produced 2 Common Buzzard, Hobby, Marsh Harrier and a distant, presumably Red, Kite.

A text from Rob later in the afternoon saw me pack up work early and shifti ng it up to Sheringham Obs where, in the wood after a short wait and creeping into the undergrowth, reasonable views of the newly found Greenish Warbler were had as it fed within the canopy of a sycamore. At last! A rare warbler here that I really should have seen here a long time ago!!

Greenish Warbler "......you aint seen me, roight?!"

A walk up the track this morning produced an imm Marsh Harrier moving east with singles of Hobby, Gol;den Plover and Snipe going west and a Chiffchaff in the hedgerow.

Sunshine State

A weeks family RnR in Florida last week was greatly appreciated in the middle of the moving routine. With a promise not to take my bins or 'big boy' camera it was all fairly relaxing and unadulterated fun. ofcourse this didn't stop me from seeing loads of wildlife and a decent list of birds including Bald Eagle, Common Nighthawk, Brown Thrasher, Red-shouldered Hawk, Anhinga, Osprey....

Snowy Egret


Dragon sp.


Regal Moth.....what a stonker!


Common Nighthawk....all taken with compact camera

Mystery Bird (or is it?)

So I stop for some lunch on some high ground just outside Northrepps and scan for birds. Almost immediately I pick up a Common Buzzard high up against the clouds and can hear a distant mewing. Watching this bird, a second appears, head on in the same area. Looking a little longer winged than the presumed adult I figure this may be a juvenile (they appear slimmer than the adults when fresh). Then it turns. "W.T.F!!!" out loud, as it shows an extensive white tail base (not pale or diffused but dazzling white!) with a clear cut, demarcated, black terminal band! I've seen Common Buzzard with pale tail bases (I look at every Buzzard I see!) but nothing like this! (Although they do occur, see below) This bird has now got my full attention ! Underneath though the bird is pale, too pale maybe for the other, highly unlikely candidate, but that tail is still screaming at me. I manage a very distant pic, cursing the fact that I don't have my 'scope with me, and as quickly as I found it, I lost it - raptors, never was any good at 'em!

Some comparison images blattently stolen from the net...

Common Buzzard by Brian Small.....

gorgeous Rough-leg, somewhere in Russia.....

my pale, screwed up, (short handed!) thing.... a Common pretender? (Pump it up to 200% if you can't see the speck!)