The Norfolk Cranes’ Story .................................................Phil Brown

Suffolk BINS –‘Bumper Autumn Harvest’

Following on from what was a great summer overall, and moving into the autumn, who would have predicted it would have thrown up so many surprises, and what must be considered a fantastic past three months.

I suppose at this point, I should really mention that Crane thingy-me-bob, but having been one of many Suffolk birders on Shetland, I personally didn’t really see what all the fuss was about! Ok, yes, alright, it was pretty spectacular I suppose, but what else did the autumn have up its sleeve?...

Suffolk, the new Scillies or Shetland?

September – The month of September produced what can only be described as a spectacular sea bird passage over a couple of days, with the highlight being a superb Fea’s Petrel spotted north past Ness Point at 18:00 hrs on the 15th, and a Sooty/Bridled Tern reported past Southwold that same morning. The 16th saw an amazing passage of sea birds noted off the Suffolk coast, with some six Great Shearwaters, thirteen Cory’s, two Balearics, good numbers of both Manxies and Sooties also being noted throughout the day, with a Sabine’s Gull, several Long-tailed Skuas and good numbers of Bonxie, Arctic and Pom Skuas helping to make this one of the most remarkable Suffolk sea-watching periods for many a moon.

Other September Highlights:On the 4th and 5th, Covehithe Broad produced a Pectoral Sandpiper, with a Wryneck noted there on the 7th. The 9th saw another or the same Pec again at Covehithe until the 10th. While a possible further bird frequented Minsmere from the 11th, being joined by a second bird from the 15th. The 11th was a good day, with a Barred Warbler at Felixstowe, juv. Rose-coloured Starling at Minsmere, and a Balearic Shearwater off Southwold. A Cattle Egret was noted over Ipswich on the 17th, with four Black-necked Grebes off Levington that same afternoon. The 18th produced the first Yellow-browed Warbler of the autumn at Minsmere North wall, with an ‘Icky’ also there. An adult Dotterel was found at Levington on the 19th, a further ‘Icky’ was found along ‘Flycatcher Alley’on the 25th, a drake Fudge (Ferruginous) Duck was discovered at Leathes Ham on the 26th, and an Arctic Warbler reported along the River Gipping, Ipswich on the 29th, with a number of ‘usual suspect’ common migrant passerines and waders making up the month of September. Headless chickens aplenty...

October – Well, where do we start? At the beginning I hear you cry, and surely what occurred on that Sunday, 2nd will live in the memory of many forever, when an adult SANDHILL CRANE, a first for Suffolk, was seen, heard calling, and photographed as it flew south along the Suffolk coast. It is thought the bird was originally on Kessingland levels as it was seen to gain height from this area before heading south. The bird was then seen to land at North Warren and was observed by five lucky Suffolk birders before it took flight after just half an hour. It was again tracked south with the help of Suffolk BINS (we sent an incredible 2080 messages to our members on that day alone), where it next stopped at Sudbourne Marsh, then Gedgrave and finally settling down for most of the afternoon on fields between Boyton Marsh RSPB and Hollesley Marshes, to be admired by the masses from far and wide, until the 7th when it flew high south from Boyton Marsh RSPB at 10:25hrs and was sadly lost to view. Despite