Hard Weather Birding

Waking up to the first snow fall of the year, really just a light dusting. Lots of birds were in the garden early morning including Bullfinches, first there was a female, the both the male and female and then 3 birds; 1 male and 2 females. The visited every 20 minutes or so on seven different occasions. The male often feeding on the buds at the front of tree. The 2 females were slightly less showy.
A walk over Fallowfields revealed 2 Woodcock; 1 flushed from the base of a bush in the middle and another bird flew up from the private gardens just west of Fallowfields.
A tweet from Jane and I was off to Leathes Ham, where the adult Iceland Gull was seen on the ice, usually unfortunately back on and preening. Up to 3 male Pintail were also very close as was a perched female. A Wigeon seen also and male Tufted Duck. A Woodcock flew east behind us.
Dick, Rene, Paul & Jane were also seen here.
Next stop Riverside road, where the excellent Black- throated Diver was on the river straight out but never my side of the river sadly. The excellent Peregrine was seen briefly perched on its perch on the west face of the Grain silo. 2 Shag and 2 Cormorant were seen also. From Asda the river was very low and on the exposed mud on the south side were 2 Dunlin and 5 Redshank.
At the North Denes caravan park, on the south side, I spotted 3 Golden Plover and 1 Dunlin just 10 metres away. The Plovers were running a short way then feeding, 1 bird plucked out and devoured a really long worm.
There was nothing on the Oval and I walked along the entire North beach and Gunton beach and no Auks were seen alive or dead. an adult Mediterranean Gull in winter plumage flew over several times north the south then north again, probably the same bird and this bird has spared my blushes as this is my first Suffolk one for this year! But I did see a flock of 130 Brent Geese flying south right over my head over Gunton Beach and then 9 Brent Geese flew south a little later. Whilst walking along the Links road wall, I inadvertently flushed a Dunlin that must have been huddle close to the wall. It flew a little way over to the dunes and settled down near some marram grass and taking great care not to disturb it I managed to get a few shots of this bird as it sat down.
Popping into Warren House Wood, I flushed 4 Woodcock, the first flew up from the middle part of the wood near the western fence, the second I could have predicted as it was the spot up the hill on the southern side where I have seen Woodcock on three previous occasions. The next one got up near the pillbox in the middle of the wood and the final one flew up near the north eastern edge. My tally of Woodcock was seven in total for the day.