Showy Subalpine Warbler in Suffolk

Some birds just have it in them to show well. And a Subalpine Warbler that first turned up at Landguard, Suffolk yesterday evening was a good example of this. Having hung around with Jonathan L and Nick C waiting for news on this bird or the Rock Thrush at Spurn (which had gone), the decision on which way to turn was easy. So by mid morning we'd parked up and in no time at all, found this showy male feeding actively in brambles and scrub: -

The bird was superb, a nice male albistrata with a deep red throat and upper breast becoming paler towards the under belly as well as a broad moustachial stripe. I didn't hear it call though. All this loveliness was slightly tempered by a few sour faced souls not happy with the way the crowd was viewing the bird at point blank range - the types who take up birding during their mid/late life crisis, buy a pager then optics before moving to Norfolk/Suffolk where they feel at home as the don of their poxy manor and twitch any old nonsense that they could find themselves if they had any idea what they were actually looking at. Nothing wrong with good views of a showy bird guys.

A nice gathering of a dozen Wheatears were on the common at Landguard, while the journey back to London was a tale of two ducks - a female Ring-necked Duck in amongst a few Tufted Ducks at Chigborough Lakes near Maldon, and then the Green-winged Teal from Crossness had made it across the river to Rainham, where it showed appallingly in heavy showers early evening.