Hazelwood Marshes & North Warren - 9/5/2018

A quick visit over to Coastal Suffolk, for a little birding. Met up with my brother and we walked the Sailor's Path, a track which leads from Snape to Aldeburgh, passing through heathland, wood and fen until we got to Hazelwood Marshes. Hazelwood Marshes is an area that was formerly grazing marsh that became inundated by water from the river estuary around four years ago.
When we arrived there the tide was out, but there were plenty of AVOCET, which may be nesting, considering the way they saw off passing CROWS; OYSTERCATCHERS and BLACK TAILED GODWITS were also present. A nice male RUFF was seen within one flock of GODWITS, looking splendid in its breeding season finery: a white head and ruff, with tortoiseshell plumage everywhere else. There also were a four or five CURLEWS about, but no REDSHANK, which was surprising. Where the reserve path met the Sailor's Path a NIGHTINGALE was singing its unmistakable, beautiful song. I saw it briefly, the motion of a moving twig.
We moved onto North Warren, a reserve just down the road. It is a typical Suffolk coastal reserve having a myriad of contrasting habitats within its borders, ranging from grazing marsh, to heath, to woodland, to reedbed. The grazing marshes were quiet, just one pair each of GADWALL and SHOVELLER, with the usual LAPWING, but no REDSHANK again. In the ditchside reeds were the usual WARBLERS and REED BUNTINGS.
Part of the reserve path runs along a disused railway line, now overgrown with scrub and great for warblers, including a nice pair of GARDEN WARBLERS. LINNETS were everywhere as well as WHITETHROATS. An amazing sight was a WHIMBREL feeding in one of the heathy fields, miles from its usual habitat, but unmistakable with its slim build and its "bent" bill.
The path led to the reedbed, which is quite large if not as big as those at Minsmere and Warbleswick, further up the coast. We counted five HOBBIES overhead, large and swift like, they would catch insect in the air and eat them on the wing, a great sight as they careered through the air.
The path eventually made its way out of the reserve, through Thorpeness golf course, into Thorpeness itself and passed the Meare, a boating lake.
So a good days birding, if unspectacular. I haven't been to North Warren in ages, so its always good to have a look in, even if its not a birding hot spot outside of winter. Sometimes its just easier to go see stuff at Minsmere, I guess.