A good day at Kessingland despite missing the Sabs Gull

On Sunday 27th September tweets from Chris D and Jane F, had me driving over to Kessingland. Still very grey and murky but the heavy rain had been replaced by a light mizzle. No sign of the much hoped for Sabs Gull either at the North beach shore pools or the pools opposite Rider Haggard Lane. I had walked back up the slope having seen nothing, I saw Alison, but decided to walk up the steps, a group of birders had stopped on the beach so I walked back down and joining Carl B, David W, Nick & co, saw a group of 7 fine Lapland Buntings (well found by Paul & Jane F, after Chris D had seen 2 earlier in the week) they flew slightly north, then fed behind a pile of seaweed. The bird on the extreme right was a well marked male by far the best plumaged Lapland I have ever seen, in the largest flock of Lapland Buntings. A fine Jack Snipe flew in and north. Walking along the beach, a Wheatear. Driving back, a messgae of a Grey Phalarope on pools south of the sluice had me drving back to the Kessingland caravan park and parking just outside, I trudged north to the Pits and saw Maurice and OFB scoping 2 birds along the northern shore line a Dunlin and the super confiding Grey Phalarope, it spent time feeding in the water but would regularly swim over and sit down on the pit edge for a snooze. Craig F, David W also joined us and we had super views of this confiding wader, it woke up stretched its wings and flew back onto the pit. It then swam over and settled on the pit edge again. Later when everyone had left, a further 3 Dunling flew in and all 5 birds (including the Grey Phalarope and the former lone Dunlin) flew round the pit and then out to sea. As I was walking back, I saw Paul & Jane F and was loath to give then the bad news, I looked back at the Pit and was amazed (but hardly surprised given the Ferguson luck!) to see the Grey Phalarope was back again and sitting on the northern edge of the Pit!