All Fired Up . .

A memorable morning ringing in Woodbridge today with two superb female Firecrests being trapped & ringed. There are good numbers of these beautiful birds turning up along the east coast at the moment & it was great to get a sense of this spring movement further inland along the estuary here. Another highlight was flushing up & managing to catch by hand, a Woodcock, without damage to human or bird! Also controlled a Robin today & 3 Lesser Redpoll yesterday, so look forward to getting information back on these from the BTO at a later date. Popped to East Lane, Bawdsey in the early afternoon looking for my first Wheatear of the Spring, but found a nice Black Redstart instead - in the carpark. . . .

'Tuf' Love . . .

News of a 'Tufted Puffin' in Kent this morning was bitter sweet for the birding community as a whole but euphoria no doubt for the lucky 7. Feelings swayed from total excitement and desperation to see such a dream seabird, to total disappointment as the realization that the bird had gone and was unlikely to be found again (today anyway . .). What a bird ! I decided to console myself with some afternoon birding at Bawdsey - East Lane. The winds were strong, coming right in off the churning sea. I spent a few lame minutes striving to find my own Tufted Puffin, well a Sab's Gull or Leach's Petrel or something . . . but soon gave up after the first few Black-headed Gulls shot by.

A walk along the sheltered lane opposite the first pool saw a smart and very vocal Pied Flycatcher & a good number of Migrant Hawkers hunting in the sheltered sunny rides. The sea wall produced 1 Black Redstart & 3 very approachable young Swallows who sat up on fencing near the car park.