Anas americana

Cley in Norfolk on Saturday. Freezing cold wind. On the lookout for the stray American Wigeon. An unconfirmed glimpse among a flock of everyday Wigeon but too cold to hang about.

Returned to the same spot at 9.30am yesterday. Much brighter, much warmer. No wind. And there it was. Dark eye patch gleaming smartly and the white line on its wings glowing in the sunshine. A fine-looking bird.

Also stumbled across eight Shorelarks inbetween the end of the East Bank and the Northern Hide.

And five Snow Buntings between the hide and the beach car park.

Grand Union Canal

First tiny hint of Spring in the sunshine on the canal on Tuesday. Kestrel hovering, couple of Mute swans, Coots and Moorhens getting busy.

Waxwings

Waxwings - extraordinarily pretty birds that turn up in some pretty ordinary places.
I counted 38 in the trees and bushes in the Homebase car park in Osterley at lunchtime.
They'd flown hundreds of miles from Scandinavia for the winter and ended up hoovering up berries at the corner of the A4 and Syon Lane.
No accounting for taste.