Hope all readers had a good Christmas and New Year. A few bits and pieces have nicely kept things ticking over, with the highlight the 1st-winter Coues' Arctic Redpoll (pictured above) at Titchwell, of which I enjoyed extended and exceptional views on 7th. The same day other highlights included a Scaup, a plethora of Geese at Holkham including 100 White-fronted Geese and 31 Barnacle Geese and the Lapland Buntings at Burnham Overy. A wintering Rough-legged Buzzard in the NW of the county has given itself up on a couple of occasions, with a few Hen Harriers here and there adding to the mix. At Holme a good day on 11th gave up 6 Bean Geese with the Pink-footed Geese, 2 Short-eared Owls and 25 Snow Buntings. It was a very mild day and felt more like March than January, with scores of Woodpigeons moving west along the coast (pictured above), seemingly more Meadow Pipits and perhaps most surprisingly 4 Marsh Harriers north straight out to sea (pictured above), roughly along the same line, in the period 08:40-08:54 hrs. They interacted over the wash and were lost as specks towards the Lincolnshire coast. Presumably reverse migration, but pretty early by all accounts? ('The Birds of Norfolk' cites February return migration records, but since publication it has presumably been much harder to judge with the increase in breeding birds). Any correspondence on this or other signs of early, perhaps weather-related, movements would be much appreciated.
