Landguard Point - 28/1/2020

 
I seldom go to Landguard in winter because at this time of year, birds are at a minimum and the place can be bleak and lifeless. But on occasions Landguard has the habit of attracting scarce species, birds hard to come upon in Suffolk. There were three birds I was looking for today and surprisingly I was able to catch up with them all, with the most minimum effort as well.

 

The Point was the focus of my attention today. This is the extreme end of Landguard, where the place sticks out between the river and the sea, a feature which makes it  so attractive to rarities. First birds of the day were two SNOW BUNTINGS, in the roped off area. They were very tame and confiding allowing the several birdwatchers present to get within a couple of metres. They are nice birds, mainly white, with ginger markings round the face. This was a good find as there are only a couple of flocks in Suffolk at the moment, and this species suffers from the large amount of disturbance on the beaches it winters on.

The second species was a ROCK PIPIT, heard calling in flight and located on the river wall. This is a species more suited to the rocky coastlines of Scotland, rather than the gentle ones of Suffolk. It wasn't a particularly spectacular find, being a little brown job, but nice anyway.
On the groynes on the most extreme part of the point I would come up with the third species. The strong South Westerlies were crashing the sea against the wooden barricades, and there lurked a PURPLE SANDPIPER. It was brief, but came within an arms width of me. Its not really purple, more a grey colour, and Landguard is one of only two regular wintering sites for the bird in Suffolk, the other being in Lowestoft.

MED GULL flying in front of the cranes of Felixstowe Docks. The white wing is very pronounced.

 



These four birds were the only birds on the point, so it was a case of quality over quantity today. The grasslands and the bramble bushes were all empty, the breeding birds have yet to return.
Over by the café, at the lookout point over the docks, amongst the BLACK HEADED GULL flock, was an adult MEDITTERANEAN GULL, almost coming into summer plumage. A few winter most years here, Landguard was the location where I saw my first one of this species. The bird can be identified from the black headed, by having a black head rather than a brown one, a chunkier bill, and all white wings. It may sound difficult to identify one, maybe a bit too esoteric, but when you get your eye in, it becomes fairly easy.

MED GULL sitting on the beach. It was very tame, sitting there within a stone's throw of the car park.

 



That's the longest blog I have ever written about just five birds. It just goes to show that seeing a thousand birds all of one species is just seeing one species, if you think like that. Birdwatching can be funny that way, and Landguard is a strange place. There isn't really much going for the area, except it will show up a rarity or a scarcity on a regular basis, something worth writing a blog about, something to tick off from your list, and its always good to have one of those sites handy. Located in an urban area its easy to access by public transport, even all the way from Ipswich, where I live. And maybe that's why I'm not too enamoured with the place, because its too easy to get to, you don't have to walk for miles to get there and everyone can see the birds. Where's the fun in that?