randombirder

It's a long way down to Cornwall but the booted eagle had now found a favourable location and was in situ just north of Marazion. The wait lasted a couple of hours in cold conditions with a few showers in the area. It didn't feel like a day for flying. We finally got a shout that the eagle was perched up in a tree as viewed from the railway bridge along the A394. And there it was, have a good old preen for around an hour finally lifting off into the gloomy skies. It circled a couple of times and then headed low north. Other highlights of the day included Caspian gull, yellow-legged gull, spoonbill at the Hayle Estuary, and a small group of purple sandpiper at the memorial in Penzance.

It was chilly but glorious in bright sunshine walking along the vast sandy beach at Old Hunstanton where these paragliders were making the most of the moderate breeze across the clifftop. Thankfully, the juvenile glaucous gull wasn't too much of a challenge to find, a stunning gull in this plumage and incredibly striking against the marine backdrop. The dead seal was the primary reason for the gull's presence along this stretch of beach. Other highlights were five shore lark and nine snow bunting, and a  merlin powering through along the beach. Dropping into Titchwell produced the usual assemblage of wintering waders and waterfowl including a notable sighting of velvet scoter on the sea.