Upstaged up north!!!!

With strong easterlies all week I had hoped the patch would produce but although I have picked up a few patch ticks it seems everywhere else has up staged here, even the birdless 'Ness up north! Things are bad! On the 6th there was severe east/south easterlies which made passerine hunting nigh on impossible. At lunch time I checked the scrub neear work and amongst the wind blown bushes I managed only a single Goldcrest. On the beach there werea couple of Wheatears and 5 Med gulls while out at sea 2 RT Divers, 6 Teal and a pale phase Arctic Skua flew south.

In the evening I decided to walk from Corton to Hopton. It was bloody hard work in the wind with only a Spotted Flycatcher near Corton and a dozen Wheatears on the pitch in putt course between the villages to show for my efforts. I decided a seawatch might save the day but again things were slow although I did add Razorbill and 2 Manxies to my patch list. I later found out I missed a Balearic flying past earlier!

Storms at Corton on the 6th

On the 7th the waste ground near work was its most productive I have ever seen it, with 2 Wheatears, 2 Whitethroats, a Whinchat and a Chiffchaff, a massive fall for the patch! The next day most had left with only a single Wheatear and Whitethroat about. The day (8th) started promisingly with a Lesser Whitethroat near my house. A walk through Beacon Park in Gorleston in the evening was little better with again only Whitethroats and a Lesser Whitethroat on show. And to think Girdleness, Abdn has had Lap bunts, Y Wags, Barred Warbs, Redstarts etc!!

Whinchat at the wasteground near work

A friendly dragonfly