Easern Crowned Warbler County Durham 24 October - or you don't actually have to be mad but sometimes it helps ..

Courtesy of the Daily Mail Saturday 24 October - which managed to provide a reasonable summary of the story and get the right picture to illustarate it - something beyond the ability of other tabloids !!

24 October. Behaving as a typical Leaf Warbler does, patience was the order of the day, as the Eastern Crowned warbler - britain's first record - moved among the Sycamores, Elders etc. Excelent views followed - with the Yellow Browed Warbler that was also present allowing a good comparison of size and plumage. No pictures of the bird but a couple of a part of the crowd. and the grey choppy sea in the background. Well worth the 2.30 A.M. start from Snettisham in the hope the bird would still be present, producing a thoroughly enjoyable day, without being drowned in the pouring rain that the forecast had threatened. Showing well all Saturday, many dissappointed birders arrived on the Sunday only to find that the bird had departed overnight.

Harbour Porpoise snettisham Beach 26 October.

Unfortunately found dead washed up on the beach as well as a single Guillemot. Otherwise little to be seen except a handfull of skulking Redwings. After saturday's excursion Sunday was spent at Holme, where a Juivenile Spoonbill provided the excitrement by coming in off the sea and flying almost over our heads !!! We watched it fly over the Pines and virtually over the Observatory before it apparantly carried on flying west