A Suffolk Day Trip & Remembering Steve Blake

The 'Tyttenhanger Birders' at Boyton Marshes in Suffolk (Steve on the right)

For several years, the ‘Tyttenhanger Birders’ – myself, Richard Coombes & Steve Blake – have done a number of birding day trips throughout the year.  The trips always involve an early start – usually to get us to our destination before break of day – followed by a fair bit of driving around top birding sites within reach of home (St Albans & North London) and doable in a day.  We usually see lots of birds, sometimes rare ones and total up our day count which usually exceeds 100 species.  The trips are always highlights of the year and a chance to indulge our love of birds and birding in places with a more exciting variety of birds.  Locations have included Kent, Lincolnshire, Somerset, Norfolk and Suffolk.
 
A week ago today, on Friday 23rd May, we did our usual Spring trip to Suffolk except this time it was just Richard and me.  Steve, who had been struggling with a long-term, cancer-related illness, was in hospital and we had just received a heart-breaking message from him to say that his birding days were over and that they were moving him to a hospice.  Today we received the tragic news that Steve had passed away just last night.
 
While we had always known that this was likely to be the outcome it has nevertheless come as a shock and with great sadness.  Of course, my immediate thoughts are with Kate, his wife, his children and grandchildren and wider family and friends.  A private family funeral is to be held but, selfishly, I can’t help recalling all the great birding moments we had together, even as recently as a trip to Norfolk in December last year.
 
In recalling all our good times, I thought I would write up our most recent trip this last Friday as a way of remembering Steve.  Although he wasn’t with us on the trip he was in our minds and conversation throughout the day and would have loved the experience as always.  As well as becoming a good friend, Steve taught me a lot about birding and helped me to slow down a bit and spend longer observing and checking the areas I was in.
 
He had a knack for picking out the rarity and would often find an unusual bird when the rest of us had moved on.  Over the years he added many birds to our local patch (Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits) site list, including a first for Herts in the form of a Penduline Tit.  We laughed and teased when he dismissed a couple of Dotterel in a field in Kent as rabbits.  I insisted we take a closer look and Dotterel they were but I knew that the only reason I had checked was because I had observed him doing the same (usually!).

Herts first Penduline Tit found by Steve Blake on 16th Apr 2018 at Tyttenhanger GPs & one of the 'rabbits' that turned out to be Dotterel on Romney Marsh in Kent

​I’m sure that Richard and I will do more trips in years to come but they will always come with a twinge of sadness that Steve is not there to share the birds and experiences.  I dedicate our recent Suffolk trip to him and hope you enjoy reading about the birds we found…

Suffolk - Fri 23rd May 2025

​As is our habit, our goal was to arrive at the small village of Eastbridge in Suffolk on the edge of the Minsmere RSPB reserve before first light.  Past visits had proved fruitful with many birds calling in the dark from the depths of the marshy fields and expansive reedbeds.  Working backwards this meant leaving my house in St Albans at 1am.  Come the day before, sandwiches were made, optics assembled and, with alarms set, an attempt at some sleep was made.
 
For me, trying to sleep for a couple of hours earlier than normal is a fairly fruitless exercise and I usually wake up a little hazy, wondering if I did actually sleep at all!  This Friday was no exception but the excitement of the day ahead brings a focus of its own and I also knew a short nap midday could be an option.
 
We headed off and, thanks to a motorway closure on the M25, picked up a Barn Owl just off Junction 24 as it flew over the road:  #1 for the day!  Driving into Suffolk is always a pleasant experience as the air fills with the richness of lush green Spring foliage; roads shrink to lanes and nature takes over.  Muntjac, Roe Deer and Foxes appear in the headlights and this time a Little Owl too.  The sky was beginning to get light even at 2.45am and at 3.20am we arrived at Eastbridge well ahead of scheduled time thanks to clear roads.  Parking up we could immediately hear Reed and Sedge Warblers along with a couple of croaking Marsh Frogs.  Moorhen called while sleeping Mute Swans stood out on the river.  A distant Bittern boomed and a Cuckoo began calling.  Only just audible, a Nightjar could be heard calling – maybe from as far away as Westleton Heath and a Tawny Owl added its squeaks along with early cooing Woodpigeons.

3.20am at Eastbridge with Reed & Sedge Warblers in full swing

The hoped for Grasshopper Warbler didn’t start reeling as it had done in the past, not did any Water Rails or anything more unusual call from the reedbeds.  We did spook a small group of Red Deer that barked their rather loud alarm calls at us.  With dawn approaching we got back in the car and headed to Westleton Heath with 11 species on the list.
 
Arriving at Westleton at first light is a wonderful experience and, in my mind, how ‘things should be’ when it comes to experiencing nature.  Immediately the churring of Nightjars fills the air and the punchy notes of Nightingales sound out across the heath.  Listen more carefully and it is not long before you can hear Stonechats singing and then the scratchy song of Dartford Warblers.  It’s a race for the ears before all the birds awake and sing – Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Robins, Skylarks, warblers and so on along with the first movement of birds overhead.

One of the Dartford Warblers at Westleton

​It's not long before our total reaches 40 species with flyover Rooks, Jackdaws and Carrion Crows along with Black-headed Gulls and Shelduck.  Some of the common birds we have to work a little harder for but we usually locate them eventually.  Our walk route takes us down through some woodland and here we make sure we’ve homed in on Treecreepers, Coal Tits, Goldcrests and Great Spotted Woodpeckers.  If we’re lucky Bullfinch makes an appearance too but we needn’t have worried as we saw several throughout the day at various sites.
 
As we leave the wooded area and head out into the heath again, we immediately hear one of our target birds for the morning – a Woodlark.  It’s song a lovely liquid descent of minor notes, this time delivered from a tree top but often, as with Skylarks, from high in the air.  Later on in the walk we find another 4 birds feeding in a set aside crop planted for Turtle Doves but none in sight today.

One of a pair of Woodlarks at Westleton

​A calling Green Woodpecker takes us to 50 species while Swifts and Swallows are added along with the first birds of prey of the day – Hobby, Buzzard, Marsh Harrier and Kestrel.  Our circuit of the heath complete we have not managed to pick up Tree Pipit or Turtle Dove – both increasingly hard to come by species reflecting their rather sad national decline.
 
At this point, had Steve been with us we might well have taken a little snack break in the car park as he got out his Jet Boil stove and brewed us all a hot drink.  In these moments we’d refer to him as ‘Dad’ as he insisted we sat down while he made us drinks!  He certainly looked after us bringing far more food and water than he could consume and making sure we were well provided for throughout our day trips – a generosity that many will be familiar with.

Enjoying an early morning 'Jet-Boil' brew on Westleton with Steve patched up following some surgery - not much would keep him from birding!

​Leaving Westleton we head for Minsmere RSPB but, as is our wont, we pause along the entrance road at every gap in the hedge to scan the fields for Stone Curlew.  The species count continues to rise with smart Mediterranean Gulls in the fields and a Red-legged Partridge taking us to 60 species.
 
We pause at a gateway to a field bordering the woodland and a Sparrowhawk dives out to a chorus of Long-tailed Tit scolding notes.  Soon after I hear a Jay-like alarm call that sounds exactly like a Golden Oriole and call out, “Golden Oriole!”  Sure enough, Richard spots a GOLDEN ORIOLE fly out and along the woodland edge in its characteristic plunging flight and back into the wood but just for long enough for both of us to see that it is a greener plumaged bird, maybe an immature male.  This is a real treat and a proper rarity for the day!  In a previous year we had heard one singing in a nearby wood but, as is so often the case, not actually seen the bird.  Golden Orioles are classically elusive so to actually see it reasonably well was thrilling.

The only other Golden Oriole I've seen in Britain - a self-found male on the The Lizard in Cornwall

​Just before we reach Whin Hill the fields finally deliver us Stone Curlew including a pair feeding their small chicks.  As we watch, a Lesser Whitethroat calls from along the hedgerow and a pair of Red Kites slowly flap up the valley.  We also check the woods for flycatchers and redstarts but to no avail, although we think we pick up the calls of Spotted Flycatchers somewhere but not for sure.  Later we learn of a more reliable spot for Redstarts in the woods so we will definitely be checking that out next year!  Either way, Jay (sometimes completely missed on our day trips), Collared Dove and Mistle Thrush are added along the way meaning that we arrive at Whin Hill with a healthy 70 species under our belt.

A rather hazy shot of one of the pairs of Stone Curlews en route to Minsmere

​Whin Hill is one of my all-time favourite viewpoints and was the staging post for the BBC’s SpringWatch programme one year when the team set up a viewing platform from which to conduct the series.  The vista stretches over Minsmere nature reserve, across the reedbeds, lagoons and marshes to distant woods and farmland on the other side of the valley.  It is an excellent place to pick up birds that are moving around in the valley, especially first thing in the morning before the heat haze gets the better of things.
 
Today we pick up our first Cormorants of the day together with Coot, Greylag Geese, Common Terns, Little & Great Crested Grebes, Sand Martins, Great & Little Egrets along with House Martins (#80) and calling Cetti’s Warblers.  In the past we have picked up circling Glossy Ibis or the elusive Cranes but every year is different and the highlight today is a flock of 5 or more Crossbills flying over us and into the woods behind.  A single Hobby is hawking over the reserve but no Red-footed Falcon – a bird on our radar given the large influx of birds into the country over the Spring period.

The view from Whin Hill

​We finally arrive at Minsmere RSPB carpark around 9.15am and, after sharing our sightings with the reception team and making use of the all-important facilities, head straight out to the scrape hides.  On entering the hides, you are usually greeted by a raucous cacophony of bird calls as hundreds of breeding waders, gulls and terns all compete with constant jostling and skirmishes on the ground and in the air.  This clamour is also punctuated by the marauding forays of larger gulls and sometimes Marsh Harriers or Peregrines.
 
Today, however, the marshes seem a little quieter although the tern colonies are still pretty noisy.  We have learned however to spend some time scanning every corner of the scrapes as the longer we look the more we tend to see!  Redshank, Avocet and Black-tailed Godwit are immediately obvious along with Barnacle Geese – some with new goslings.  A Pied Wagtail appears and Gadwall, Shoveler, Teal and Tufted Duck are picked out.  A lone Little Ringed Plover is a nice find while later we pick out a couple of Ringed Plovers too.  While Common Terns make up the bulk of the terns a good number of Sandwich Terns are also present along with a few Little Terns.  The usual group of Kittiwakes is also present – perhaps taking a break from the noisy colony down the coast at Sizewell.
 
A single Great Black-backed Gull joins a single Common Gull to complete our common gull tally for the day but no sign of the regular Little Gull today.  Walking to the beach Grey Heron and Reed Bunting are the only new additions however, looking back over the marsh, we spot the elusive Cranes as 2 birds fly in and land to feed in the pasture.  We spend some time scanning out to sea but very little seems to be passing save for a flock of Common Scoter which does, however, take our day count to 100 species.

A very distant shot of the 2 Cranes at Minsmere RSPB reserve

We continue to scan back over the marshes with both Red-footed Falcon and Purple Heron seen recently but to no avail.  Somewhat annoyingly (and perhaps typically) both species are recorded the following day!  Our route back to the reserve centre adds very little except for excellent views of a flying Bittern that came right over our heads.  We also learn that a Kingfisher is nesting in the Sand Martin wall by the café so resolve to make this our goal during lunch.
 
Unfortunately, the café is closed due to staff shortages (perhaps indicative of the recent RSPB cut-backs) so we have to make do with a snack menu.  Once we’ve eaten, we stake out the Sand Martin wall that is a constant hive of activity with Sand Martins arriving and leaving all the time.  A bolt of blue streaks across and I follow a Kingfisher out and over the trees towards the marsh but sadly missed by Richard.  We wait a little longer but it doesn’t return quickly – a shame as Kingfishers are often missed on our day trips despite the fact we’re often in suitable habitat.

The cafe at Minsmere RSPB

We get back in the car and head to Sizewell – the home of the nuclear power station undergoing a huge extension and threatening the very existence of places like Minsmere.  Despite local and wider resistance, the power plant extension is full steam ahead but does seem to have some spin-off benefits in the form of local community projects and, for us, free car parking in the formerly paid car park!  We take the opportunity for a 45-minute power nap (unheard of in my youth but now a necessity) that remarkably sets us both up for the rest of the day.
 
Sizewell is not the most obvious birding destination but does have some unique birds to offer.  Nesting Peregrines are frequently seen while Black Redstarts also breed on the power station.  The scrubland can house Lesser Whitethroats and Meadow Pipits while Fulmars on occasion use the massive iron-clad face of the power station as a cliff to glide along.  Offshore a couple of permanent rigs are home to substantial Kittiwakes colonies – an unusual spectacle on a coastline largely devoid of natural cliffs.

One of the Kittiwake colonies offshore at Sizewell in Suffolk

Today however we failed to find the Peregrines but after some searching did find some elusive Black Redstarts.  House Sparrows, Feral Pigeon and Greenfinches were also added to the day list but still no Starlings.  We were confident we’d pick them up as we travelled and leaving Sizewell our list now stood at 107 species.  Our next destination – Hazlewood Marshes – promised us a better selection of waders but what would the tide be doing?  High tide and the whole site would be water with birds confined to small islands while low tide would mean birds were far out on the estuary.

Hazlewood Marshes

We arrived to a low but rising tide which in many ways is perfect with birds constantly moving in to feed on the exposed mud as the water pushes them out of the estuary.  We needn’t have worried as something else did the job for us with many waders up in the air as we walked out to the hide.  Scanning around and an Osprey (#110) was picked up circling over the river!  We watched as it drifted upriver before hovering and diving for a fish in the water.  A frequent visitor to this site this was however the first time we had connected with one here and a first for our Suffolk day trips – a real highlight.
 
In the general mayhem of flying waders created by the Osprey we had picked up both Whimbrel and Curlew along with Bar-tailed Godwits and Grey Plover.  As the waders resettled, we scanned the mudflats and among the many Ringed Plovers found Dunlin and then a small group of Knot.  Longer scanning might have found us a Spoonbill or Curlew Sandpiper but we had other sites in mind and being now 5pm we didn’t want to run out of light!

Osprey!

After a 25-minute drive south we arrive at Boyton Marshes RSPB reserve.  A relatively new site for us in the previous wet year it held a great variety of waders including lots of Greenshank and a few Little Stints along with a Glossy Ibis.  This year it was clear that water levels were much lower but nevertheless the main pools still held families of Avocets and a few Redshank.  We walked out along the river wall but despite the beautiful setting could only add Yellow Wagtail (#116) and Meadow Pipit (#117) to our day list.
 
As we left, we paused on the entrance track to chat to another birder who had picked out a small group of Roe Deer basking in the evening sunshine.  He confirmed as we had heard the previous year that a pair of Turtle Doves regularly drop down onto the road to feed.  Sadly, as with the previous year, they were nowhere to be seen…maybe next year.
 
Our final stop for the day was just a short drive further south to the other side of the marshes – to Hollesley Marshes.  We parked up next to the bleak HMP Hollesley Bay that stands in stark contrast to the surrounding verdant vibrancy of the marshes.  A single open hide allows good views over a scraped area and the previous year we had seen Short-eared Owls along the river wall here.  Every year is different however and instead we picked out a single Common Sandpiper (#118) and a few lingering male Wigeon (#119).
 
The real highlight came however with the discovery of Spoonbills (#120) dropping in to roost.  Initially a group of 3 birds were tucked away feeding to our right but as the evening drew on several more birds flew in and by the time we left there were over 10 at the site.  A female Cuckoo called its lovely bubbling notes and a Water Rail (#121) squealed briefly from next to the hide.  We were both out of steam and so decided with such a good day count to head home as the sun set.  In my younger days I might have pushed on – maybe to tick the showy Purple Heron further south at Trimley Marshes – but sense and indeed sensibility prevailed and we called it a day.

One of the Spoonbills at Hollesley Marshes

​As we left the marshes and drove through the small Hamlet of Oak Hill on the edge of Hollesley what should suddenly appear in good numbers but Starlings (#122)!!  How we had missed them all day is a mystery but day trips always have their quirks with some birds proving much harder or easier to see than expected while others do a disappearing act altogether – notably Nuthatch and Pochard this time!
 
We drove home thoroughly satisfied with our day, knowing that Steve would have loved it too.  Rest in peace Steve and thanks for all the good times – not least for keeping me awake at the wheel on some of our longer day trips!

Steve on his patch at Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits in April 2023