Not bad for a Monday!

 Hare soaking up the sun at Burnham Overy.

Parked at Holkam in a 'free' space and walked down to the bus stop. Eddie also has this week off as holiday, so we decided to team up today and find some birds. I caught the coastliner bus from the main road, (which Eddie was on from Cley) and we got off at Burnham Overy to walk down the track to Gun Hill. Loads of blackbirds, redwings, fieldfares and robins scattering along the track. Just where the track opens out, a beautiful hare was lounging in the long grass in the sunshine, warming his whiskers – he was totally unaware of our presence. We stalked him and got some fabulous pictures. There were some greenfinches drinking from a puddle on the path. A huge 100+ flock of lapwing flew over west. Birds seen on route to the bushes at the end of the sea wall: reed buntings, house sparrows, bearded tits (heard), pink-footed geese, redshanks, more thrushes were seen all along the seawall. In the apple tree at the end of the bank there were a couple of house sparrows and a song thrush.

The lower path which runs alongside the sueda leading up to Gun Hill was alive with blackbirds, redwings, fieldfares, robins and a few reed buntings. A good number of skylarks were flying over too. Apart from a single robin there wasn't any other birds in the bushes on the seaward side of Gun Hill. Stopped here for a coffee break and then continued on through the dunes. We were surprised to see a peacock butterfly and a comma in the dunes! Apart from a few more blackbirds we didn't see anything else in the dunes.

We searched for the Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll and looked in the same spot I photographed it, but no luck. A Short-eared Owl appeared over the dune ridge and then disappeared over the west end of the pines. We then walked through the pines and came out at the cross tracks. I said to Eddie 'we need to go and look in the pond area for the Pallas's' - as we started to walk along the path adjacent to Joe Jordan's hide, Andrew Bloomfield said 'the Pallas's Warbler is just round the corner by the pond' – we thanked him and quickened our pace. Steve Gantlett appeared and overtook us on route to the pond! There was no Pallas's Warbler to be seen when we got there! We stood and walked round here for ages looking for the bird, as did quite a few other people, but no luck at all sadly. A female blackcap, lots of goldcrests, a couple of chiffchaffs, great, blue and great tits, oh and some long-tailed tits were seen and also a barn owl. Eddie found a ring ouzel round the corner, which I didn't see. Suddenly without more than a few seconds warning it started raining heavily. Trudged back to Lady Anne's Drive with several other birders. Eddie got a lift home with Paul L. and I went to visit my parent's at Holme before returning home. On route a massive, several thousand strong flock of starlings flew across the road north towards Warham Greens and I saw a Woodcock fly over the road at Burnham Norton on the way to Holme.

 Hare soaking up the sun at Burnham Overy.

 Pink-footed Geese flying west over Gun Hill.

 House Sparrow, Burnham Overy Dunes.

 Peacock Butterfly, Burnham Overy Dunes.

 Skylarks at Gun Hill.

Redwing at Gun Hill.

 Eddie Myers at Gun Hill.

Little Egret at Burnham Overy Staithe. (taken semi-dusk)

Main Highlights in Norfolk - RBA
Several black redstarts, waxwings and ring ouzels along the coast today.

DUSKY WARBLER at Lynford Aboretum
PALLAS'S WARBLER and Yellow-browed Warbler x 2 at Holkham
Black Guillemot and Shorelark at Salthouse
White-rumped Sandpiper at Cley
Little Auk on sea at Cley