A real sign of Autumn

The weather is still set fair over much of the UK and without storm systems the birding is still pretty quiet. A series of trans-Atlantic lows are predicted for next week which has got everyone excited but let's see. These predictions don't always pan out the way you want and Ireland may cop most of the goodies anyway!
No excuse for not getting out, especially as there are a few goodies still to be had. One of them is a bird I have always struggled to get good views of. It is a real skulker, cryptically camouflaged but a classic marker of early Autumn in the UK. It is the wryneck, a small member of the woodpecker family but one which feeds on the ground not trees. Its normal habit is to lurk in bushes and hide behind branches eluding good views or photographs. When seen it is incredibly attractive in a very understated way though.
So, when not one but two were reported at Landguard on the Suffolk coast I know where this morning would take me. Despite fog in our valley it quickly cleared and I got to Landguard, right next to the docks in Felixstowe, by just gone 8. There is an old fort here which use to guard the estuary mouth from those pesky French. Now it is a museum and home to the bird observatory. The reserve is a strip of land between the docks and the sea, an area of low scrubby bushes, grass and blackberry brambles.
On arrival there were about 6 birders already on site. The wryneck had been seen briefly in flight about 7 but nothing since. We decided that the best tactic was to spread out along what is colloquially known as Icky ridge (I have no idea why!). This is a bund between the acres road and the reserve covered in brambles: classic habitat for wrynecks. There were a few warblers to keep us occupied whilst we waited including willow warblers, one wearing bit of leg jewellery, and lesser whitethroats.

I gradually chatted with most of the others - two were locals who had already seen the bird, one came from Cambridge and the others were from further up the coast in Suffolk. Eventually I was almost at the right hand end of the line when the very last person whistled to me and beckoned me over. The wryneck was in a small low bush - apparently!

I stared at the bush for a couple of minutes before I finally saw a movement and got onto it. Trust me, it is in the photo above. roughly in the middle. Just as another birder arrived it flew out and behind us, landing in another bush about 50 yards away. By the time we got to it the others had also seen it fly and were advancing towards us. Within no time though it flew back to roughly where it came from. This time though it was out in the open - sitting on a metal fence!!!!

What a beautiful scenic place for it settle. It was totally unperturbed though by the 15 or so birders and photographers now advancing on it. It started there till we all managed to get really good views of it.

It really is a handsome bird. The plumage is understated with browns, greys and blacks. Even the patterning is striking with bars, dots and stripes. All of this makes it almost impossible to make out when in cover, but on a fence line it is a tad easier to see! Eventually it flew off but only about 10 yards and settled on a bush again in open view. This was one confiding wryneck.

We formed a semi-circle and the sound of motor-drives going off was like the Somme but it just sat there looking around.

Damn, I'm annoyed I missed the one above. Wrong settings again for it flying off!!! Fortunately though it only went another 30 yards down the ridge and this time started feeding on the ground, digging its beak into the soil and hoovering up ants.

You get a bit better idea of its camouflage when it's on the soil. It finally disappeared into the thicker brambles, possibly for a kip to digest its breakfast. I gave it 45 minutes but it didn't come out so I called it a day and headed back as I needed to visit our local tip! Its always a good Autumn when you catch up with a wryneck and this is certainly the most confiding I've seen in a long time.