27th March 2016
I hadn't planned to go out on Easter Sunday, not least because Eastergeddon had been forecast, with more rain and high winds than you could shake a stick at. I was slightly surprised therefore to see that it was a bright if slightly windy day. I had a call from Justin, who had just found a drake Common Scoter on Thorpe Broad, so I made up a flask of tea and set off for Thorpe. Common Scoters turn up fairly regularly inland, especially in late March/early April, but there haven't been too many at Whitlingham in recent years - the most recent one as far as I know was the one I found on the Great Broad in December 2012.
After arriving at Thorpe I walked briskly along the riverbank to the bird screen, where Justin was still watching the scoter. It was favouring the far edge of the eastern 'arm' of the broad, from the central spit eastwards. There was still some patchy sunshine, and the beak shape and yellow triangle showed nicely. After watching the Common Scoter for a while I completed a lap of the site, seeing an Oystercatcher, 2 Kingfishers and getting uncharacteristically good views of a Cetti's Warbler. It was then time to head home and eat some chocolate.
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