As I was working in the office the pager bleeped to announce a Ruddy Shelduck near Strumpshaw Tip. I was there within ten minutes, quickly locating the carrier flock of Pinkfeet and scanning them from the car. After a fruitless search a woman let her dog chase through the field, scattering the geese. I photographed the whole flock in the air, but still no sign of the Ruddy Shelduck.
Since the flock was circling over fields towards Beighton, I drove across and parked in a layby to watch them land: still no RS! You do have to wonder sometimes how reliable these reports are: another birder was slightly more forthright in his comments!
(It seems the RS was originally seen from the windpump at Buckenham with a large flock of Pinks: this split and flew in two separate groups of a couple of hundred each. I imagine someone tossed a coin as to which group contained the Shelduck)
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