Late autumn goodies

On Sunday 17th November, after a tweet saying the Temminck's Stint was still at Minsmere, I drove straight over there in the early afternoon. Entering the hide Andrew E. was there and he had the Temminck's Stint & kindly directly mne onto the bird which was stright out (of the north part of the hide) at the very back of the East scrape. It was on an island right at the back and very distant but it was regualrly eeding, the fine diminutive Temminck's Stint (my first ever in November) walking by the edge of the island. It showed light fawn brown back, white underparts and straw yellow legs. A larger Dunlin and was bullying it and it actually flew closer to the grassy green island to the north of the east scrape right in front of post number 8 and a better view was obtained until 3 Dunlin here forced it to feed around the back of the island. Andrew E. later picked it up on its original island were it fed by the island edge and even once in the water. A male Goldeneye flew in and settled on the water directly in front of the East scrape hide even throwing its head back and giving its distinctive but brief calling display. John B. entered the hide & later on in the afternoon, I was pleased to be the first to pick up an in-flying fine male Goosander which flew in and again settled on the water directly in front of the East Scrape before it swam left and then stood on the edge of an island and started preeing before roostings. Its underparts were a magnificent sunset amber in colouration, quite striking. A little later Andrew called out 3 female Goosander flew in from the south and settled on the polder to the north of the east scrape. Several flocks of 10's of thousands of Starlings , a murmuration of Starlings, wheeled about impressively in the sky. Around 8 Avocet seen and when they flew looked really striking plus Pintail and Wigeon. There were lots of Gulls including c15 LBB Gulls and the odd 4 Great Black- backed Gulls but strangely no Caspians amongst them (especially given there were 33 seen the previous afternoon!).