A Roller at Icklingham, Suffolk - 26th June 2021

A Roller had been found just east of Icklingham and seemed to be fairly settled. An early start ensued and already there was a large crowd of birders viewing the wires and field where it had taken up residence. The weather was not kind, being dull with even a bit of drizzle. Initial views were of it perched up on the wires with its back to us.

As it warmed up a little, it flew to a line of fence posts and made occasional forays to catch insects on the ground, returning to the same area. This bird of course should be in the Mediterranean at the moment, but a wonderful addition to the Suffolk countryside.

Even at a distance the colours were fabulous! I only managed a couple of flight shots when it was coming back up to one of the posts.

The first time I have seen one in the UK and even in the dull weather a beautiful bird.

As Lackford Lakes is just 2 to 3 miles down the road I stopped off there to try and see the Glossy Ibis that had been reported. Thankfully it showed but was quite elusive, spending a lot of time hidden in the lush vegetation. I managed a couple of record shots in tricky light.

A fabulous few hours and good to see some familiar faces!