Cormorant c.3 T
Little Egret 1 T
Pink-footed Goose c.20,000 B
Greenland White-fronted Goose 1 B adult with Pinkfeet. Bill appeared long, slightly decurved towards tip and clearly yellow-orange becoming paler at tip. Extensive white blaze contrasted with remainder of dark brown head. Bold black patches on belly. Legs orange. Appeared quite large. Excellent.
White-fronted Goose 2 B c.10 Holkham. Appeared noticeably smaller and more compact than Greenland (though no direct comparison possible). Typical pink bills appearing considerably smaller than Greenland.
Ross’s Goose 1 juv. B Seen in association with the much larger Pinkfeet. A small, dainty Goose predominently white with dark grey loral line extending across top of crown. Grey rectangular shaped dark area on nape. A few brown feathers across mantle. Black primaries seen to have white shafts when it conveniently stretched its right wing. Bill small and pink with dark cutting-edge. Excellent views to 200m.
Todd’s Canada Goose 1 B A large Canada Goose with long black bill. Eye often caught the light (see BW Vol.14 No 12 p.519) so looked pale at a distance. Black neck-sock ended abruptly at whitish breast. Upperparts barred. Often possessed a horizontal stance. Associating with huge flock of Pinkfeet. Did not look too different from typical Canada Geese seen in UK - easily overlooked !
Brent Goose c.15 B c.200 T Dark-bellied.
Red-breasted Goose 1 adult B A small complex-patterned Goose with red ear coverts and breast. Upperparts black contrasting with two prominent white wing bars and white flanks. Associating with Pinkfeet.
Shelduck c.5 T
Wigeon c.5 T
Gadwall c.2 T
Teal c.10 T
Mallard c.5 T
Pintail c.2 T
Shoveler c.5 T
Eider c.3 T
Long-tailed Duck c.7 T including a fine male in winter/spring plumage complete with pink patch on bill, black patch on ear coverts and long black tail. Excellent.
Scoter c.10 T
Goldeneye c.15 T
Merganser c.15 T
Marsh Harrier c.2 T
Merlin 1 T a brown juv. or female - looked quite small.
Grey Partridge c.8 B
Coot c.10 T
Oystercatcher c.20 T
Black-winged Stilt 1 male T. Seen down to c. 15 feet on salt marsh. Winter plumage with some grey streaking across rear crown. Pinkish flush to breast. Greenish sheen to black wings. Excellent.
Ringed Plover c.10 T
Golden Plover c.350 T
Grey Plover 1 T
Lapwing c.20 T
Dunlin c.2 T
Ruff 2 T
Snipe c.5 T
Bar-tailed Godwit c.25 T
Curlew c.5 B
Spotted Redshank c.5 T w/p
Redshank c.2 T
Turnstone c.2 T
Black-headed Gull c.25 T
Common Gull c.10 T
Woodpigeon c.5 B
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 Holkham
Skylark 1 B
Meadow Pipit c.5 B
Pied Wagtail 2 B
Robin 1 T
Blackbird c.3 T
Fieldfare c.10 Holkham
Redwing 1 Holkham
Mistle Thrush 2 B
Great Tit c.4 T
Jackdaw 1 B
Starling c.300
Chaffinch c.5 T
Goldfinch c.5 T
Lesser Redpoll 1 T
Mealy Redpoll c.20 T A couple of males with deep rosy red breasts seen, one of which had pure white undertail coverts! An assortment of females and first-winter birds seen all of which showed heavy flank streaking. Most showed long bills. Some had frosty central tram-lines on their mantles. Most possessed white greater covert wingbars. Ear-coverts finely streaked often making the head appear quite dark. The streaked rumps difficult to see. Most had several streaks on their undertail coverts, some very well marked.
Arctic Redpoll 2 T 1st winter individuals. First individual showed a small short yellow bill, red forecrown, well marked, broad supercilium. Ear-coverts virtually unmarked giving very pale appearance to face. Buffish flush to supercilium, ear coverts and upper flanks and across upper breast - looked quite distinct from Mealy Redpolls. Crown and nape finely streaked but appeared pale. Ground colour of mantle pale and more finely streked than the Mealy Redpolls - very frosty in centre of mantle. Rump appeared clean white but difficult to see. Uppertail coverts with dark centres. Wings had broad white tips to greater coverts forming a broad white wing bar. Broad white fringes to tertials. Flanks finely streaked not approching Mealy. Underparts very pale being virtually white. Undertail coverts pure white and definitely unmarked seen extremely well for prolonged periods. Frequently appeared bull-necked. Excellent. Second individual darker with single dark streak on longest undertail covert. Appeared quite small-billed and rump appeared white. Lacked the buffish flush to face. A more difficult individual.
Juvenile Ross's Goose at Burnham Market (Michael Malpass)
