Fan- tailed Warblers at Walberswick & an incredible quartet of Whoopers over the house!!!

On Sunday 18th January, not being able to use the Walberswick Pay & Display car park as there is no reception on my phone. I parked along the road to Westwood Lodge at Hoist Covert, hearing Wood Lark singing, I couldn't see it though. A walk through the woods and I could hear, Treecreeper, Goldcrest, Bullfinch and Long- tailed Tits. All escaped my vision, save for the family party of 12 Long-tailed Tits flying through. and walked to Hoist Covert then took the footpath east where the woods opened out to the marsh. As soon as I was walking along the boardwalk, I heard a load of Bearded Tits either side of the path, at least 8 seen closeby but heavily obscured by the reeds. I took the path east and into a wooded mound, then past a pill box and then east again over a boardwalk by teeds, I saw a chap who had just seen the FTWs just over the river just 10 minutes ago. 50 minutes past and no sign so I decided to walk towards the beach ridge and stopping on the ridge just 100 metres north of the Buckthorn bush. There were 5 other birders present further down on the ridge which I thought was a mistake as heightwould be the key. This proved to be the case as I soon picked up an excellent Fan- tailed Warbler or Zitting Cisticola perched high up on a reed at mid distance just this side of the river, in between 3 posts. It was perched up for several minutes, and showed lovely dark streaks quite thick on its mantle, streaked head and fanned tail with white tail terminal bar, quite a striking bird, I was able to get most of the other birders onto it before it dropped down again. Another birder spotted a second bird. not so well marked with closed tail. A wader calling "chew-it" flew by and right/north proved to be an excellent winter plumaged Spotted Redshank that vigorously fed over the far side of the pool just north of us. A Little Egret flew over the marsh just south of us. As I walked back I saw a fine Avocet on the pool. On the way home, I parked at Wrentham cemetary, and I saw a female Goldcrest in one of the near bushes. As I parked my car on the drive, at 16.08 hours, I heard an odd 'Kree kloo kloo" calls and saw a group of 4 superb Whooper Swans, absolutely huge birds very vocal with a triangular wedge of yellow on the bills, long necks flying in a tight formation, incredibly low just over the roof of out house and they flew right overhead and flew in a north- east direction towards the coast, absolutely incredible and a superb new garden record, wonderful!