When will Spring arrive?

A day off today, Wednesday 27 March, the morning was taken up taking my Canon 7D camera body (which to be honest I've had problems with focusing ever since the Arctic Redpoll at Aldeburgh last year) down to Colchester to a Canon Repair centre and indeed the settings were way out, repairs to the 1.4 converter and the prime lens was serviced and cleaned on the spot, just a 20 minute wait! Excellent service. But it will be a 2 week wait until I get the camera back. This afternoon it was very pleasant in the sunshine despite the cold temperature. Arriving at Lound car park, it was good to see Roy R and his wife and we both spotted the redhead female Goosander swim out from the islands and over to the reedy bank before she swam further back and out of sight. A Snipe was also seen here. I then spotted Matt G and over the course of a very interesting conversation he told me SWT had a ten year lease from WDC to manage Gunton Warren, great news and they can really help Nick B and James W in the excellent work they have done off their own back. Thanks to first Chris M (great find, Chris!) and James B for both their very useful directions, I drove to Lound water for an initial look by the Somerleyton/ St Olaves turn off and parking at the Browston sign in the muddy layby, I missed the Mandarins, but a Kingfisher calling revealed a stunning Kingfisher showing his stunning back sporting cobalt blue plumage on the low branches of a bush and later the Kingfisher turned round and again looked resplendant with its bright orange breast showing well in the afternoon sunshine. A quick visit to OFB and we were comparing lenses, nothing in it, Rog! A return visit just after 5pm and the pair of Mandarins were out swimming in the middle of the lake. The Mandarins were later seen swimming over the far side of the lake under the branches of the fallen trees and once again venturing out into the middle of the water. Good to see Rob Wil here too. The Kingfisher was still around showing well for those lucky people with working cameras!