GREAT SNIPE in Suffolk

A GREAT SNIPE was discovered by Carl Buttle mid morning in the coastal strip of grassy vegetation just south of Covehithe cliff. He was fairly confident of the id when he first saw it and after a second view, he invited Ali Riseborough and Dick Walden over, all three observers enjoying two further flight views of the bird. It then flew north and landed in a field on the opposite side of the road but this was private, and despite further searching by up to 20 observers later, it was not relocated. It represents only the third modern Suffolk record, the last being at Corton.