And it starts all over again

2016, how did that happen? I marked the event by spending the day on the patch, notching up 73 species. It was actually a very good day, with several surprises; best was a Cetti's Warbler calling and showing briefly at the southern end of the Fleet in Besthorpe, where there is ideal habitat for this species - but just the second patch record (the first was in 2014). 

Other highlights included:

• Barn Owl - one at a 'traditional site' on the patch
• Chiffchaff - at least one (and possibly a second) in the hedges around the Silt Lagoon
• Curlew - 2 on the Silt Lagoon, along with 4 Redshank
• Green Sand - one on Ferry Lane Lake with another in the new workings on Northcroft Lane
• Grey Partridge - a covey of 3 in fields south of Ferry Lane Lake
• Jack Snipe - 1 kicked up at Meering
• Pink-footed Goose -  a skein of c.100 flew over West 
• Ruff - 2 flew south over Meering with c.280 Lapwing; another 2 flew south on their own a while later. Unpected, and presumably caused by some long-awaited cold weather?
• Woodcock -  3 at Besthorpe Warren, exactly where I hoped to find at least 1

Another interesting bird was a very pale juvenile Common Buzzard which I haven't seen around before; this was sat up in an ash tree to the west of Mons Pool, dropping down out of sight a couple of times; I only saw it in flight briefly. Structurally, it did appear to be a Common Buzzard, but had dark carpal patches on the underwing, largely white underparts and face, lots of white feathering in its upperparts, and a white rump and very white tail, but this bled down the centre of the tail to the distal end, meaning that there was no clear dark bar.