Sunday 4th December saw us heading off again, this time to visit my family before Christmas starting with my sister in Hampshire. The drive there was OK and along the way I saw 6 Red Kites, 4 Red-legged Partridge and the usual assorted road kill along the verges.
We only stayed overnight and had to endure watching the England v Senegal World Cup game on the TV but it was nice to catch up and to meet Morse, my sisters new rescue dog from Oxford who is absolutely gorgeous.
The next morning we drove on to Suffolk, admiring a female Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Nuthatch on my sisters bird feeders before we left and along the way I saw another 6 Red Kites soaring over the motorway.
Our time in Suffolk was busy but I did manage to squeeze in a bit of bird watching along the way starting with an hours walk along the River Alde at Snape Maltings on Tuesday 6th December. It was cold in a stiff Easterly breeze but out on the mudflats I had some nice views of Avocet, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Redshank, Lapwing, Curlew and Black-tailed Godwit. In the reed beds Water Rail were squealing and Bearded Tit were pinging but both were keeping well hidden while a Kestrel was busy hovering overhead.
The highlight though was a Barn Owl briefly flying around before settling on a gate, the views were distant and it soon flew off again into cover, probably to roost in a barn owl box hidden in the trees but a very nice sighting indeed.
Wednesday 7th December was even colder with a stronger breeze than the previous day but I managed to get an hour at RSPB Hollesley Marsh, a reserve I've never visited before. Views were a bit distant but I managed to see 2 Marsh Harrier (a male and a fem/juv), Pintail, Black-tailed Godwit and Wigeon while a Cettis Warbler was briefly heard singing.
There were lots of Canada Geese and Greylag Geese spread out across the Marsh and adjoining fields and hidden amongst them were at least 8 White-fronted Geese, they were distant and hunkered down in the grass but occasionally they looked up flashing off their white bill blazes.
There were plenty of Gulls around too - Lesser and Great Black-backed, Common, Herring and Black-headed - and amongst them I found a stonking adult Caspian Gull which flew in and promptly went to sleep! It was eventually spooked by something along with all the other Gulls and took to the air, flying off before landing on the water further away and then promptly disappearing amongst the other Gulls but I was very pleased to have found one.
Even better was my first ever sighting of Chinese Water Deer with 2 seen chasing each other along the side of the Marsh. They showed very well before disappearing back into the undergrowth, very distinctive looking with fox like colouring and large upright ears.
Heading back to Plymouth on Thursday 8th December and a further 8 Red Kite were seen soaring overhead on what was a sunny but cold day with temperatures not going above 4.5°c.
A great trip away, some nice sightings, lovely to catch up with my family but now the hell of working Christmas and New Year in the NHS will begin.
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