Blue Eyed Birder: Lowestoft Life 15th-30th September 2025

This will be a slightly odd Lowestoft Life as September has basically happened while I have been away with work so it will begin all the way back on the 15^th with a very local trip while shopping on my one day between the Norfolk and Mallorca trips.

While I was in Lesvos a female Ruddy Duck was found at Leathes’ Ham on the north side of time and I felt the need to go and have a look at this once very common bird. I will not get into the political and ecological conversation background to the eradication of them from the British Isles but suffice to say I have many Ruddy Duck memories.

I saw my first on a YOC outing to Tring way, way back in the mid-1980s and then tried to string one on the Snettisham pits a couple of years later on an RSPB coach trip when it was in fact a female Common Scoter – it is funny what the mind remembers.

During the 1990s the population exploded and I remember rafts of them at Abberton and Hanningfield Reservoirs, in the Lee Valley and down on the pits around Dungeness and with them at around the same time was a little flurry of White-headed Ducks which, yes, are all on my UK list despite the naysayers.

They started to breed in the local parks in East London and were a joy to watch them bubbling away and all puffed up but after the cull we started to keep them quiet (including at RSPB Rainham Marshes where I worked – we never told the site manager even) and I think I last saw one at Dungeness about ten or so years ago.

On my one day between tours it was howling a westerly gale but it was dry so I literally dashed in through the Poplars that were shedding small branches and hoped I would find her quickly. Thankfully she soon emerged bringing a genuine smile of reacquaintance as I watched her paddle steam out into the open, suck in her feathers and begin diving. She even flicked up her tail her a couple of times.

Ruddy Duck

I suspect that sadly this will be the last time I see one in the UK as only a handful are now known to still survive. I waved a poignant farewell and left. She left a week later.

Fast forward through Mallorca and I immediately had four days in Sheringham for my Mother-in-Laws 80^th birthday celebration. Our towering house was in the middle of the town and two Goldcrests greeted me in the street Whitebeams while the flowering Ivy in the back garden was alive with Wasps, Ivy Bees and a few Hovers and Bumbles. A Hummingbird Hawk-moth whizzed around the garden too.

I spent the first half of the 27^th doing family things but then escaped down to Kelling Water Meadows for a mid-afternoon walk. It was ornithologically quiet with just a few Chiffchaffs in the lane and Med Gulls with other species overhead while two young Marsh Harriers upset some Grey Partridges in the stubble.

Six Cattle Egrets were parading around the cows and were completely un-bothered by our presence. How things have changed. The lane was, as usual alive with insects and the Ivy was working very hard with the expected Bees and Wasps and some good Flies too. There were two Red Admirals and a couple of Speckled Woods.

Cattle Egrets

Med Gull - It was bothering me that something was wrong with the picture? Where are the legs?

Choreutis nemorana on Fig

Lucilia sp

Pollenia sp

Seven Spot Ladybird

Linnaemya sp

Tachina fera

Holly

Hogweed

Tail-less young Pheasant that ran like a Kiwi!

With no sign of any autumnal migrants I headed back for dinner.

The following morning I ambled the 300 yards down to the sea front for a seawatch. I picked up four Great Egrets lumbering east before I got there but the following 90 minutes were somewhat disappointing with, well one adult Gannet.

After packing up on the 29^th we headed for home and I opted to stop at Winterton in the autumn sunshine. I plodded down through the dunes and soon found the male Red-backed Shrike. He was mobile but I let him come to me and got some lovely views.

I actually can not remember the last time I saw an adult male in the UK? In fact I am struggling to get beyond the last breeding pair at Santon Downham way back in 1991. The fact that I saw several earlier in the month in no way diluted the enjoyment of this lovely bird.

Red-backed Shrike

The adult Lesser Grey Shrike was already visible about 400 yards further on, glowing beacon-like on the top of a stunted Oak with a small band of admirers. I walked down and joined them for a delightful session with this charismatic bird. Again, I had seen them earlier in the month on Lesvos but all were youngsters. My fourth in Norfolk of this now very scarce bird.

Lesser Grey Shrike

It would sit and watch for prey for an age before dashing off to catch it. A big fly went down easily but a Nicrophorus Carrion Beetle took a little longer to process and undoubtedly tasted absolutely foul!

Lesser Grey Shrike

After some quality time I walked back in the sunshine but other than a Kestrel and Stonechat the common was almost bird free. As usual some flowering Ivy distracted me!

Tachina fera

Ivy Bee

Hornet - I love the shadow

Bombus terrestris

Volucella zonaria

Syrphus sp

Helophilus pendulus

Bombus pascuorum

I put the moth trap on that night and caught a few bits and bobs that showed that autumn was moving on and a Siskin flew over calling as I went through the contents.