Astonishing day in Suffolk: Red-breasted Flycatcher, Long-eared Owl and much more!

Linda joined Brian, Norman and me for a day on the Suffolk Coast. First stop was Southwold, where the long-staying Red-breasted Flycatcher gave views down to two metres : you had to be quick on the draw, though - the little sprite was hyperactive! A couple of Yellow-legged Gulls loafed along the riverside.

From there we moved on to Minsmere, making our first stop at the Island Mere Hide. Almost as soon as we entered an extremely obliging Bittern wandered out of the reeds to catch a large Rudd just five metres in front of the hide! A distant ringtailed Harrier drifted across the levels towards the beach...

The walk out to the sea was spectacularly punctuated by fabulous views of a beautiful, newly-arrived Long-eared Owl. Once we'd had a good look and taken a few photos, we trotted off to look for people with whom we could share this lovely bird.

Walking north along the beach provided fleeting views of Dartford Warbler and several Stonechats, while the our vantage point on the Sandy Path produced a distant Great White Egret.

After lunch we made a quick stop at Eastbridge, but the recently-present Cattle Egret was not in evidence: accordingly we headed north to Lowestoft, where a short search gave us Purple Sandpiper for the day. Last good bird was a Short-eared Owl, perched on phone wires by the Acle Straight.