New Years Day 2012

Driving back from Wales 2 Red Kites and a Buzzard seen over the M4 just before Reading (the Kites) and just after (the Buzzard),
Arriving at Lake Lothing via Riverside road late in the day, the Black- throated Diver was showing very well, swimming along the river right in front of us and therefore good shots were obtained albeit in poor light. Much further west along the river, a female Red-breasted Merganser was seen rather distantly by the orange bouy. A "tweet" message stating a Hume's or Yellow- browed had me eventually driving to Ness Point, the warbler was seen flitting and working right along the bushes, it was a bright Yellow- browed Warbler. It worked its way right along the bushes and then promptly disappeared. Some fifteen minutes later it reappeared showing well on occasions albeit very briefly, the cream supercilia, double wing bats and cream tertial edging clearly seen. 5 Purple Sandpipers were seen on the rocks butting out from the northern end of Ness Point, 4 were asleep one was busy feeding away from the gang of four.
A look in Hamilton Dock cost me a sighting of the Hoopoe (nonetheless a great find by Ricky) which I missed by 5 minutes.

On the 2nd January, after a further 3 hours looking over Bouton and Paul's old factory, finally at 11.20am all the Pigeons flew up and underneath them flapping away with it's distinctive butterfly flight, the buff- orange plumaged Hoopoe with with black and white- spotted wings flew underneath them, it also sported a folded crest and longish down curved bill. It flapped around then dropped down after about a minute's duration.
Meanwhile along the river, the Black- throated Diver showed reasonably well today albeit in much better light than yesterday.
A trip to Beccles eventually revealed 64 Waxwings,perched precariously along the roadside verge bushes just west of the Go Kart track, I had refound them and phoned OFB and both he and Dick drove over and sensibly stayed in their cars. But unfortunately an individual from Bury St. Edmunds (who will remain nameless although I know who he is!) decided to walk straight up to the bush (why???) and inevitably scared the Waxwings off. They were later seen in a distant bush in a disused industrial yard, albeit much further away. 2 Fieldfares perched high up in a tree elsewhere. I unfortunately flushed a Short- eared Owl flushed from a bush, just metres away during a comfort stop! It simply flew away obviously startled, poor thing!
Finally, taking Mill Lane by Mutford "high street" and right by the iron gate, Morris B, OFB and Dick W and I walked out along the footpath traversing the middle of a very promising looking field, we waited for 2 Short- eared Owls, the first one, eventually came out at just after 2.30pm, the darker individual flew along the east side of the field and initially flew towards us before swooping down in to the field. it later flew along the edge and over the gate right by OFB's car and the waiting incumbent (Morris B) had an Owl's eye view at very close range. A paler Short- eared Owl was west of the field near a barn, where it perched on a distant post for a while before hunting again along the south side of the field.