Tuesday 7th December saw us heading off to Suffolk for a few days away to visit family for Christmas. The weather on the journey up to Ipswich was foul as Storm Barra rattled across the UK with heavy rain, gales and lots of surface spray on the roads making for a rather unpleasant drive but we eventually arrived safely.
The following day was sunny and dry but still very windy and I managed to persuade David and Mum to go to Shingle Street for a walk so I could look for the 5 Shore Larks that have been present for a couple of weeks now. The birds have been very mobile, ranging up and down the coast between Shingle Street and Aldeburgh, and on the drive to Shingle Street I kept my fingers crossed that they would be present.
I've never visited Shingle Street before, back in 1981 I was heading out there on a coach trip with the Suffolk Naturalists Society but we never arrived as we were involved in a nasty crash with a lorry along the way. I've always been intrigued as to what I missed so if nothing else a visit would finally satisfy my curiosity.
It was incredibly windy on the coast and Mum and David stayed in the car while I headed up the shingle beach towards Aldeburgh with the waves crashing against the shore and Gulls swirling around. A Grey Seal was resting on the beach before disappearing into the water and a few Redshank were feeding along the tidal creek.
I eventually met up with another birder out along the shingle ridge and he very kindly pointed out the 5 Shore Larks feeding unobtrusively amongst the vegetation nearby. They gave some lovely views with their yellow faces looking stunning in the sunshine and I was very glad to catch up with them, only my second ever UK sighting.
They disappeared behind a shingle bank and so I walked onwards to try and get more views of them but they must have flown as they had just vanished and despite searching further along the beach I never refound them. I also hadn't realised how far I had walked along the ridge and the walk back to the car over the pebbles and into the strong wind was quite exhausting but it was all worth it.
Thursday 9th December was sunny and calm and cold and after visiting the antiques centre and our friends cafe in Yoxford we had a brief stop at Minsmere on the way to Snape Maltings. We parked up on the road near the Island Mere and walked along the muddy footpath to the hide to look for the 3 wintering Whooper Swans. Unfortunately they had decided to head over to The Scrape but I did manage some nice views of a pair of Marsh Harriers, Wigeon, a Little Grebe and Mute Swans before we walked back to the car to continue our journey and on the drive towards Snape I managed to see Fieldfare, Red-legged Partridge and a Water Rail as well.
While Mum and David looked around Snape Maltings I took a muddy walk along the river where a female Marsh Harrier showed very well hunting over the reed beds. The tide was low and out on the mudflats were good numbers of Dunlin, Redshank, Lapwing and Avocets.
As the light began to fade I kept a look out for Barn Owls but with no luck but I did see a male Reed Bunting, Teal, Mallard and surprisingly 2 Green Sandpipers flying high overhead and moving inland.
We headed back home on Friday 10th December and the weather was much kinder with sunny skies, no rain and little wind but it was still quite cold. We stopped off at my sisters in Surrey for a cup of tea and a catch up along the way and as dusk fell we watched the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus move across the sky as we drove along the A303 towards Plymouth after an enjoyable trip away.
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