S.A.D.!!!!!!!

Yes, I do mean Seasonal Adjustment Syndrome, and mine is being pushed to the limits at the moment! Yet another weekend of disheartening weather with strong west to north-westerly winds, cold temperatures and a little hail (with a lot of rain) thrown in for good luck. Saturday morning I made a concerted effort to watch from the garden but the wind had worn me down by lunch time:
Sand Martin 1 north* FoTS
Swallow 1
Wheatear 2 (from the track)
Common Buzzard1 (presumed local bird)
Mistle Thrush 2 west
Sparrowhawk 6 (displaying)

The Sand Martin is 59 for the garden year list

The moth trap was run all night on Friday but could only muster single Grey Shoulder-knot, Hebrew Character and Clouded Drab. These take the years moth totals to 67 individuals of 16 species.

This morning I decided to take the 10 mile trip up to Blakeney to see the decidedly rare KILLDEER that turned up on Friday afternoon. Again it was cold and windy but the bird was obligingly positioned close enough to the veiwing area for some shots... then just as I had set up, a Marsh Harrier drifted across the fresh marsh putting the thing up sending it to the middle of the field-typical!


Killdeer. The best I could manage ...showing nothing characteristic!

Killdeer Showing the characteristic double breast band, unlike any other bird on the British list
Killdeer. Video grab showing the cinnamon coloured tail

These birds are a common sight over most of North America but are a very rare visitor to Britain, usually in the months from October to March. This is the second Norfolk record, the first being only last year at Breydon Water at the beginning of May (that bird was my 400th British bird, etched in the brain!)

Back in Aylmerton this afternoon and a walk up the Track produced 10 Meadow Pipit, and singles of Wheatear and White Wagtail, the latter a real crisp one. At Felbrigg Lake, four Swallows seemed hard pushed to find any food, but must have done, because also there a female Black Redstart was flycatching around the old oaks until a couple of idiots and their runaway dog Malcombe (?!) scared the bird, not to be seen again.