LIFER!

Well, what an eventful morning Saturday turned out to be! I was just walking up towards the Track when I received a phone call from Ian Prentice, another birder who lives in the parish. Ian and I go back yonks, as school kids we 'cut our teeth' together birding the salt marshes and mud flats of south-east Essex and several holidays to North Norfolk. Bizarrely, with very little communication or contact by either of us we have both ended up in the same parish in Norfolk! Anyway I digress, Ian phoned to say that he had what he was 99 percent certain was a Yellow-breasted Bunting in the next village of West Runton, and that he had lost sight of it but was having to leave the site because of another commitment. Knowing how good a birder Ian is I set of immediately, phoning a couple of people en route. As I turned into the cliff top carpark I noted my dad had already managed to get down there and jumping out of my vehicle I could see Ian frantically pointing downwards. A couple of seconds of confusion ensued as I thought he was indicating that the bird had gone on to the cliff face, but moving to a better angle I realized he was pointing to the fence. I scanned the fence directly infront of me and counted 4 Meadow Pipits before a muttered expletive and YELLOW-BREASTED BUNTING!!! As I was taking a mental note of the birds distinguishing features my hand was already reaching for my camera which dangles constantly from the neck of my 'scope ( the bird was sitting on a fence, next to a public footpath, on the Norfolk coast, on a bank holiday Saturday- it wasn't going to be there long!) As I took my eye from the scope to attatch my camera the pipits, with the rare visitor in their midst flew up from the fence and turned west...and just kept going west...and didn't stop. Shortly afterwards other birders started turning up , most resigned to the fact that this one had given them the slip, a feeling I am only too well famliar with.. but for once , not this time!



Back home and the moth trap had lots in it but pretty much the same as in recent catches although there were Latticed Heath and a fine Red Underwing (escaped but I didnt care!) to keep the annual total going GYL 162.

Lattice Heath