Eastern Gems & showy Diver

It was a very grey murky day, but my first stop was for the Red- throated Diver that Andrew had seen from Asda seen on the Lake Lothing adjoining the car park. As soon as I arrived, a Cormorant was drying its wings out on the nearby post and the excellent Red- throated Diver, still with a patch of brick-red, a narrow rusty rectangular patch on its throat, so therefore in transitional plumage and partially retaining this part of its summer garb, was seen half way out on the water.
The bird was still some way away but I obtained a few record shots and drove to the outskirts of Heathland holiday camp at Kessingland. Walking down 100 yards east along the long path to the entrance, I joined a group of birders including Paul & Jane, Chris M and Peter N and Chris D amongst others. Looking over in the direction of the camp I could see 3 wonderful Waxwings which would frequently fly and swoop up into the air to catch some insects in flight.
The Ybw was still not showing and I decided to walk east to the cliff to look out to sea. Not a lot was seen, so retracing my steps
I rejoined Paul and Jane and newly arrived OFB. Paul & Jane had seen the Ybw in my absence, and Paul did ever so well to pick it up in the left hand sycmore amongst the bushes in front of us and I was soon watching the excellent Yellow- browed Warbler which was showing occasionally amongst the foliage but was typically very active. It was seen a couple of times in the middle and the back of this sycamore before it too disappeared. In a far tree at the back, Paul had picked out all 14 Waxwings which were back.
The Waxwings flew from tree to tree occasionally flying up into the air and then down again catching insects. Before several Waxwings flew over our heads.

Returning to Asda car park, the Diver was now 30 yards east of the car park, and I walked across rough ground and was able to get some reasonable shots this time as the excellent Red- throated Diver gradually swam nearer and nearer. It even raised up on its haunches and flapped its wings giving me a wonderful photo opportunity see the result on the picture below the header! Its swimming accelerated when a small boat drove through heading west, doing me a favour as the Diver swam to almost 30 feet of where I was, it then started to swim quickly west for some 50 yards before turning and then slowly swimming east and heading to the middle of the water again.
After a brief interlude for lunch at home, I received a tweet stating that both Ybw and Pallas' had been seen on Maltsters score off the old High street Lowestoft. I parked just north of the Police station and joining Jane we walked/ ran up the score no one could be seen but Andrew was seen just north of here and we then ran up Cumberland Place and in a patch of waste ground the excellent Pallas' Warbler was seen very brieffly in the bush and then a sycamore at the bottom before it flew back into bushes between Cumberland Place/ Maltsters' Score and it was seen at the back and briefly on top of a bramble bush before it was seen in some bushes along Cumberland Place and a Sycamore where I was able to photograph it. As usual a real gem of a bird with striking long lemon- yellow supercilia, yellow central crown stripe and two thick yellow wing bars and lemon yellow rump.This was the first time I've been birding the Lowestoft scores, very historic lanes running down from the old High street to the old fishing village now almost completely disappeared. Sadly, like much of Lowestoft, these Scores which should be a source of historic pride for the local community, looked very run down with boarded up windows and litter and old beer cans littered about.
At Ness Point, in the yard by the Wind turbine, a female type Black Redstart flew onto a pile of wood planking. It then flew over the road and onto the roof of a building along the west of the road to the car park. A fine end to a fine birding day.

Sea Passage

At Ness Point, an assembled team of birders already there included James B, Paul & Jane OFB, Roger W and others.
There was an impressive sea passage of birds flying north mainly duck and of those mainly Wigeon and Teal with groups of 18, 32, 24 of Wigeon and 16, 8 and 4 Teal flying north. Also flying past was a a respendent male Goldeneye and 1 female Goldeneye and 2 female Red- breasted Mergansers. Brent Geese also flew past 1 very close in flew north plus a further groups of 8 and 12 also north.
Eiders flew south including a glorious male and 5 females too.
Walking over to the finger 1 Purple Sandpiper seen amongst a group of 12 Turnstone plus 2 flew past going south so 3 Purple Sandpiper in all.
At Links road car park, amongst the Gulls was an old friend the adult winter Mediterranean Gull with green ring sporting the white letters 3XA9.
Walking north I checked warren House Wood and checking the hill behind it with the fence, I disturbed a Woodcock that flew into a fence and was momentarily dazed as it flapped around before it flew up and over the wood.
walking north along the beach, I saw further groups of 8 and 12 Brent Geese flying north and a large group of 32 Teal and 27 Wigeon going north. Nearing the seawall, 4 excellent Snow Bunting flew a short way south and walking along the sea wall, I spotted first 4 then another singleton Snow Buntings, totalling 5 in all feeding on the beach by the marram grass. Dog walkers were flushing them and they moved north briefly feeding before being flushed by them once again.
Finally, 2 singleton Curlew flew north.