SATURDAY BIRDING IN SUFFOLK

A sharp frost marked an early start this morning as I headed to Gedgrave Marshes following reports of five Tundra Bean Geese seen yesterday. 

Driving east into the sunrise, heading for Gedgrave Marshes

On arrival, the birds were quickly located feeding beside the roadside, offering excellent views. They were in the company of two Egyptian Geese.

The Tundra Bean Goose is a scarce winter visitor to the UK. It breeds on the Arctic tundra of northern Russia and Siberia and migrates south to winter across parts of Europe and Asia. During the winter months, it is most often found in agricultural landscapes, marshes, and wet grassland, making sites like Gedgrave ideal stopover habitat.

Moving on from Gedgrave, I headed north to Kessingland, where I connected with a sizeable flock of over 140 Snow Buntings. The birds were feeding actively and frequently taking flight, creating an impressive spectacle as the flock wheeled around the beach.

The Snow Bunting is an Arctic specialist and is widely regarded as the most northerly-breeding songbird in the world, nesting on high Arctic tundra and even beyond 80°N.

Also present were five Shorelarks, though, unfortunately, they were feeding at a long distance on the far side of a pool, making photography difficult. Before I could get any closer, a dog flushed the birds, and they flew high before disappearing from view and could not be relocated. As a result, I didn’t manage to obtain any photographs, so I've used one from the internet, and hopefully, Paul won't mind.

(c)Paul Baker

The Shorelark, also widely known as the Horned Lark in North America, is a distinctive ground-dwelling bird. In the UK, it is mainly a scarce winter visitor to the eastern coasts, where it forages on open shingle and sandy beaches.

Kessingland beach in the afternoon sun

Walking back to the car, I heard the news: three Zitting Cisticolas had been seen at Walberswick—just half an hour down the road! This had all started on 3 August, when a singing male was first spotted. For weeks, birders debated—were there two birds or just one? The mystery was solved on 16 August, when two adults and a faecal sac confirmed nesting. By 22 August, both parents were feeding at least three fledglings, and the very next day, a fourth chick appeared, confirming beyond doubt that Zitting Cisticola had successfully bred in Britain.

Five Zitting Cisticola (adult [right] and four juveniles)

(c)Chris Darby

I’d only ever seen this species once before, back at Pegwell Bay in Kent in 2009, so I didn’t hesitate—I headed straight there as this was my chance to finally see them, something I’d wanted to do all year despite being tied up with work.

On arrival, I walked down the shingle beach and made my way toward the area where the Zitting Cisticolas had been reported. I stood quietly at the edge of the reedbed, watching for movement, and soon noticed a small flicker among the reeds. A Zitting Cisticola then appeared, perched on top of the reeds.

After about an hour, as the sun began to set, I finally managed to get good views of the other two birds. Seeing all three Zitting Cisticolas was a quietly rewarding experience—more than I had hoped for, and a perfect way to end the day.