We started off at Ludham Airfield, where a dashing Peregrine and further close views of the over-wintering wild Swans set the ball rolling! Next stop was Winterton, where we came across Barry Jarvis putting down seed at the top of the beach: as soon as he moved on, a large flock (80+) of Snow Buntings descended to feed. Offshore a few Red-throated Divers and Scoter were loitering, while overhead vast numbers of Pink-footed Geese were on the move.
Despite a couple of miles walk and an hour or so checking out the dunes in front of the Imperial Hotel at Yarmouth, we didn't manage to 'kick up' the long-staying Shorelarks. We did see a single Lapland Bunting and lots of Skylarks (which seemed to mislead a group of visiting birders!) Amazingly, there were no Meds among the Gulls on the Waterways, just a somewhat headmaster-ish Grey Heron!
A scan of Breydon Water from the remains of the hide added Little Egret to the day's total, as well as the amazing spectacle of around 5000 mixed Plovers wheeling around above the mudflats.
We finished off the day with half an hour in the Fen Hide at Strumpshaw: none of the reserve's specialities put in an appearance, just a few Marsh Harriers and a very confiding Chinese Water Deer...
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