Red-rumped Swallow, Felbrigg, 12th April 2014

Our good friends Neil & Eunice are back in the UK for three weeks and are staying with us for a few days – they arrived yesterday tea-time, along with the first bit of sunshine we’d seen all day. After a welcome cup of tea I suggested we go for a walk to Felbrigg before dinner, Jane and Eunice decide to wait for the bread to come out of the oven ( a good decision!) and so Neil and I set off. We did the usual thing, stroll down the lane, through the ‘back gate’ and follow the new path through the woods to the lake – nothing of great interest on the way just a couple of Chiffchaffs, Nuthatch and an Egyptian Goose. As we enter the Alder carr, by the edge of the lake, we can see Sand Martins low over the water – I lift my bins and almost immediately a Red-rumped Swallow flies through my tree-obscured vision! We both get confirmatory views before the bird is lost in the trees. We hastily re-locate to the dam end, where we get cracking views of the bird amongst the swarm of Sand Martins, in the evening sunlight. A quick call to a few locals and to Jane, asking her to post it on Birdguides,  ‘job done’ – we then have that agonising wait for the first birders to arrive, hoping that it doesn’t decide to fly off. Fortunately it stays – Jane & Eunice arrive with my camera and I manage to get a few shots before we all head back for a celebratory glass of Rioja.

An adult, showing a distinct white spot in the centre of it’s back – something I’ve noticed in other birds in Europe

A very nice Felbrigg ‘tick’, only my second in Norfolk and a promising start to the birding long weekend.