Walberswick , Suffolk – Saturday 17th November 2007

Cold and sunny was the order of the day as we arrived on site with many another birders after the Penduline Tits that had been on this site all week. For us though we had a prior agenda of seeing some winter visitors for our year list, which had escaped us in January and February. Walking through the reeds we were surprised at the number of Bearded Tits running through, absolutely first class views. On to the area where the Pendulines had been seen, but they had recently flown, never mind, out across the reeds towards the sea there was a Hen Harrier putting up waders and wildfowl and inland we could see two Marsh Harriers and a Peregrine. The wait for the returning tits was pressing and we decided to head for the beach, here we were immediately on a mixed flock of Snow Bunting, Greenfinch and Twite. Looking back over the marsh it was evident that the pendulines had returned, so we pushed back to try and catch them, err not this time, they flew minutes before we returned. Back to the beach and lagoons, we see Water Pipit and distant Whooper Swans, the 300 for the year was now in the bag! We walk slowly back pausing for the elusive (only for us) Tits, again no luck. On our way through we divert from the path to the edge of the reeds, here a small group of birders explain that this was where the now extremely tricky (only for us) Pendulines were commuting to. We wait, one birder describes how they had only been 6 feet from him, we wait and then we wait some more, reports come in by phone that the birds were in the air, we wait. Alas they never did return for us and we pulled back to car to return home. Out of over a hundred birders that day, I wonder if anyone else dipped quite like us.

Life List: 356 Year List: 301 Month List: 96