Red Kites breed in Suffolk ...........................................Phil Brown

soon followed by other individuals at the Bowling Green in Sparrows Nest, Lowestoft 22nd, one by the Customs House, Felixstowe 23rd and singles at Hubbards Loke, Gunton and on Skillsman Hill Southwold 24-25th. A smart Pectoral Sandpiper was found on Trimley Marsh SWT late in the day on 21st and remained until 23rd at least. While a rather confiding Lapland Bunting was present on the beach at Landguard 22nd-24th. Other notable birds found during the month included; Honey Buzzard south over Rushmere Heath 5th, Grey-headed Wagtail at Landguard 6th, juvenile Montagu’s Harrier south over Trimley 8th, Lapland Bunting Trimley Marsh SWT 12th, a putative Roseate Tern off the rigs at Sizewell 9-17th, Balearic Shearwater south off Thorpeness 7th, Grey Phalarope south off Corton 21st and finally several Long-tailed Skuas were reported off our coast throughout the month.

Phil Brown

Red Kites breed in Suffolk

At last it’s official. Red Kites have again bred in Suffolk1, this time on a private estate in the west of the county.

The Red Kite’s steady progress eastwards can even be seen in the Cambridgeshire Atlas from 2007 to 2011 (see page 31) as nesting attempts steadily move east approaching the Suffolk border. So their arrival has been slow, but inevitable (as the June BINS report demonstrated). Amongst the early spotters of this particular Suffolk breeding pair was yours truly, along with my fellow villager and SOG-member John Owen, when in April while we were conducting a Nightingale recce. We hope to be publishing more information about this long-awaited 2013 return in a later issue.

Meantime, it is worth repeating that in 2012 there had been a previous possible breeding attempt on another west

Suffolk estate but, as the landowner concerned denies access on principle to ornithologists to the estate, it proved impossible to confirm the nesting site at the time.

Look out east coast, the Red Kites are coming - but slowly!

1 The first time, since pre 1830, and then the NE Suffolk pair in 1996-7]