Desert Wheatear = Birthday bonus

On Friday 15th November, after receiving a very welcome phone call from Jane F saying both her and Paul was watching the Desert Wheatear at Winterton, just after 12.15pm, I drove stright over there and from the triangle sign along the North beach I saw Mick D who was a Seal Volunteer with other volunteers and he said the bird was around 200 metres further north with 4 people, 2 people I knew very well and a photographer who was 'on the bird'. I reached them to see Paul & Jane F and another birder plus photographer Jim L lying down quite close to the bird. The bird was perched on a small sand hill, it was the fine female Desert Wheatear. I almost joined him and took a few pics but unfortunately my camera setting was still on ISO 1600 which was too much for this now bright day. I quickly changed the setting to auto ISO meaning the camera selected ISO 100 which gives the best quality. I then joined Paul & Jane F. saw the bird which was often on the move and now moving north, I went into the Dunes and crawled up to the Dune edge and saw the bird reasonably close then the bird flew towards me and perched on a pebble where I obtained my closest shots, again without disturbing the bird. Also on the beach were around 15 Grey Seals the closest one , but still by the shore/ sea edge, I took pictures of one of their number from the edge of the dunes. It then flew onto the beach and then flew a little way south again. I could see Tim H walking up and I walked and joined the throng of birders where we saw it perch on a tree stump and then it flew again. Drving back past the Casietr bypass dual carraigeway a Buzzard closely followed by a Kestrel flew east across the road. A great trip and only my 3rd female Desert Wheatear having seen previous females at Heacham Hunstanton and a fabulously showy bird on Gorleston beach.