That's another Eider down

A visit to Minsmere on Saturday [6 November] provided Malcolm, Carolyn and me with an opportunity to catch up with one of the rarer species of Eider Duck - a drake King Eider that had been in the area for some time. Finding it was not going to be easy, though, as we had been told it usually did a daily commute between Dunwich and Sizewell – that’s a lot of sea to search for one duck! As we walked to the beach I don’t think any of us felt too confident that we’d see it but incredibly, after ten minutes or so of scanning and just as we were beginning to resign ourselves to a long search, Malcolm said he thought he’d got it – and sure enough it was the Eider. It was quite distant at that point but soon afterwards we had a stroke of luck when a small fishing boat spooked the bird into flight, bringing it a bit closer - close enough for us to watch it easily through the scopes as it dived and fed, and preened itself.

After a celebratory lunch in the visitors centre involving lots of cake, it was off to Covehithe, a few miles away, to try for a reported Richard’s Pipit. Yet again, within ten minutes of arriving we had the Pipit in our scopes, after seeing a number of birders making their way through the churchyard to a field beyond. To say this bird was mobile was the understatement of the year - it didn’t stand still for a second and we were continually losing it in the rough grass and weeds of the field. Eventually, however, it did stop for a short rest which gave us a chance to try a photo or two…

Back at Minsmere, a single Waxwing in a tree close to the visitors centre was the only bird I saw that day of a larger flock that had been around earlier…

…while the final half an hour in the Island Mere hide gave me probably the best view I’ve ever had of a ring-tail Hen Harrier. It almost made you hold your breath to watch it - flying in an arc around the front of the hide, its feathers tinged gold by the setting sun.

Needless to say, another great day’s birding.