Experienced my first proper dip of my short UK twitching career today. A Forster's Tern showed brilliantly over the weekend just around the corner in Suffolk / Essex, but I simply could not go. All my mates went and had a great time, that included sending me back-of-camera shots from the field. This afternoon I finally had a chance to go with Ben. We hoped for a repeat of yesterday's appearance at the Felixstowe Ferry gull roost, and there was a probable observation in the morning, so we left Norwich with mild optimism. We were joined by 4yo Toby...
It was cold and windy, and when we got there we were greeted by some grim faces. We walked the long way out to the only place where the roost is viewable from, and hoped for the best. Sadly, our hopes never materialized. Lots of gulls came in to roost, but not our tern. We waited and waited, scanned and scanned, but bugger all. I found a smart-looking 1cy Caspian Gull,1-2 heinei-type Common Gulls, a Med Gull, but I was so cold and so buggered that I couldn't bother getting record shots in the gloom from miles away.
On the way back to the Norwich we had the classic post-dip conversation. One day someone should write a book that collates all the dipping phrases: 'Can't win'em all', 'Part of the game', 'At least I found a Caspian Gull', 'Such a great site - I am really happy I got to know it' etc.
Pete Wilson came up with the best line ever, as we returned from dipping American Bittern in Cornwall (present all week, and Sat, but Sun was first day we[I!] could go): "That bird had no right to do that."
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