Swamphen seconds and plenty more besides!

Since Brian hadn't yet seen the Purple Swamphen, we met early and were in the carpark at MInsmere by 8.00am. Despite the drizzle and overcast, we didn't have to wait long before this delightful Mediterranean visitor emerged from the reeds for a crowd-pleasing half-hour feeding session. At times it shared the frame with Little Egrets: it really is chicken-sized!
Good to meet up with blogger Ben Moyes and old friend Chris Sayer (And yes, Chris: I did teach both your siblings!)
The last two Swamphen images are by Brian, using his fantastic 500mm f4 lens...

A walk around the reserve to the East Hide added flocks of 23 Spotted Redshanks and five Little Gulls to the day's tally, while a pair of Green Sandpipers were a little too far away for decent photos. The walk back for coffee at Reception provided decent views of a Stone Curlew and a distant Red Kite.

After lunch we moved on to Walberswick, where a  second Red Kite performed at close range, while Marsh Harrier, Bittern and distant Honey Buzzard were just frustrating!

Last stop was Dunwich Forest for fabulous views of White Letter & Purple Hairstreaks, White Admiral and countless Migrant Hawkers. I bumped into old Hellesdon HS colleague Duncan McNiven: has it really been twenty years?