Arctic Warbler at Wells Woods

Linda and I were up and out before six thirty and seawatching from the shelters at Sheringham half an hour later. Despite the brisk northerly winds and rain squalls, all we saw were hundreds of Teal, Wigeon and Gadwall, with a few Pintail and Scoter for luck! There were, of course, lots of Gannets, but no Shearwaters or Skuas...

We made a move to Cley and trudged out to the Centre Hides: Bernard Bishop chatted to us through the shutters, but his presence didn't seem to worry the waders: a flock of Dunlin, Little Stints (4+) and a Curlew Sandpiper came close enough for photography. No sign of the Grey Phalarope, however..

Last throw of the dice was a speedy visit to Wells Woods: we'd already decided not to join what seemed likely to be a bunfight at Burnham Overy. A short walk and very brief wait and we soon located yesterday's Arctic Warbler. This beautiful little sprite (a new bird for Linda!) was thoughtful enough to pop up for photos of its long, pale supercilium. Nice to meet old friend Bob Walker, looking no different from when he was my best man twenty-odd years ago!