Put him in irons

I'm not having much luck since I got back from holiday. I know it's my own fault for not going immediately a good bird is seen but I've got away with it a few times in other years. Since getting back, I've gone for the great-spotted cuckoo on the day after it was last seen after a long stay, and the same for the red-spotted bluethroat. I tried again today for the broad-billed sandpiper, a lifer, which had been showing well on the Orford estuary in Suffolk. It was there  very late evening the previous day so I was quite hopeful. As I got into the car-park just after 7 though two birders were already leaving - no show. I stayed for an hour or so with 4 or 5 other other hopefuls but there was only a small flock of dunlin and ringed plovers on the falling tide. Gone overnight! I really must make more effort to go when birds are there and not leave it!
Anyway, I was in Suffolk and Minsmere was only 20 minutes up the coast. First stop was Dunwich Heath on the north of there reserve. An Iberian chiffchaff has been in residence (see a pattern developing here!) for a few weeks, singing in the bushes near the car park. This is quite a rare bird, though getting commoner, partly as people get more used to the subtle variations in song. They are almost impossible to tell from common chiffchaffs on plumage alone. This time I managed to be a bit luckier. Almost as soon as I got down from the car-park ridge I could hear the song, like a variation of a chiffchaff but with more complexity in it. It even showed a few times as it made circuits in the sallows.

As you can see from the photos it is wearing a bit of leg jewellery. One of the locals informed me that it had been ringed that very morning after being caught in the mist nets. Good job it didn't get spooked and decide to decamp elsewhere.
Apart from this the main reserve at Minsmere was very busy with nesting gulls and terns, including little terns which were a year-tick. Oner thing of interest was that a small colony of kittiwakes have taken up residence on the scrape and are ground-nesting. This is very unusual as they normally frequent high cliffs.

In the last photo they are pitot-bombed by a lesser black-backed gull which has stolen a chick! I did try for the two Savi's warblers behind Island Mere hide but they normally only sing early or late and so, guess what, I dipped again!!
My last stop was for the stone curlews on the heath behind the reserve. The weather was starting to take a turn for the worst and as I got there the rain spots were beginning to fall. Myself and two others managed to spot up to 4 birds from the bridle-path crossing the heath, including a group of 3 displaying and calling.

The call is an almost banshee-like wail, very unusual!
Finally the heavens opened and the grey skies told me it was time to leave. Two more year ticks but a shame I missed the sandpiper! Still no lifers at all this year which is appalling seeing as it is now into June.