Suffolk...

 I was going to do a better holiday blog, but things are backing up on me a bit so this will be brief, just for completeness. While we were away for 2 weeks there were very few noteworthy bird reports from Suffolk but my Northumberland Birds WhatsApp group was niggling away at me with almost daily reports of the goodies back home. Most galling was a tremendous juvenile Red footed Falcon on one of our local moorland patches. I even recognised the telegraph pole it was perched on in the photos! After about 10 days of daily gripping frame fillers, we were on our way home. Bird still present at 10.30am. Looking good. After 360 miles with a sickly clutch I decided to get up there first thing next morning. Yes you've guessed it. That 10.30 am sighting while I was on the A1 near Stamford, was the last. It had gone.

Back to the Suffolk report. The only good bird ( for us) was a very close Dartford Warbler in the dunes at Sizewell. We went for a brace of Glossy Ibis at Aldburgh but dipped those. Im starting to sound like Unlucky Alf here...

So, I'll just end with some snaps from the week...

Peggy enjoyed her trips out and pub lunches...

Southwold, always a pleasure.

Aldeburgh Food Festival at Snape Maltings.

Crabbing at Walberswick.

Above, Shingle Street. What a place.

Sunset from the house

Wood Mouse watching the moth trap action...

Snow...

This is a nondescript post really. I have been on holiday since last Thursday, but not been very far as I have been keeping our new arrival happy and getting her used to life in darkest Northumberland. Meet Peggy, a Patterdale x Lakeland cross, 4 yrs old ( or so they tell us) and a refugee for Darlington Dogs Trust. Peggy only arrived at the trust a week past Saturday and we collected her on the following Tuesday. She is a timid little thing and was in need of a loving home, so as we had a terrier sized hole to fill, we thought she would fit the bill...

Other than that, the other highlight of the week, was this -

... Snow! We haven't had lying snow here for at least 3 years, so this was a bit of a novelty. We do get snow a short way inland, but on the coast it is a real rarity these days.

This morning's walk uncovered a very small hard weather movement of 8 Fieldfares, 90 Golden Plover, 1 Mistle Thrush and 3 Meadow Pipits all S along our coast path. This afternoon a short look along the village lane had a nice flock of birds in a small, low-yield, corn crop stubble - 250+ Linnets, 32+ Stock Doves and a male Sparrowhawk.

But, its back to work tomorrow and Friday where the day is spent wishing for lighter nights...