More from the Far East

A couple more posts should wrap up the remaining highlights from our recent East Anglian trip, and, what with it being so flat and wet an all, they are mostly in the waterfowl department. Geese are of course a Norfolk speciality but Suffolk has a few too - the highlight being the wintering flock of Russian White-fronted Geese (race albifrons) at North Warren. These birds sometimes hold a rarer Bean Goose though not this year it would seem. The White-fronts were accompanied by a flock of Barnacle Geese which are considered 'feral' - but then so are the Canadas and Greylags so I'm ticking them for the photo year-list!

White-fronted Goose, North Warren RSPB, Suffolk (#110)

Adult White-fronted Goose in flight

Juveniles lack the black belly markings

Juvenile White-fronted Goose

Part of the wintering flock

Barnacle Geese, North Warren RSPB, Suffolk (#111)

Barnacle Geese in flight

The Konik ponies which do such a good job of habitat management on Suffolk's RSPB reserves 

Marsh Harrier causing mayhem among the White-fronts

Pintail were very close in to the excellent new raised platforms which give improved views over North Warren 

This the female Pintail

A beautiful duck

Skylarks were in song at North Warren

Rook (#112) at Covehithe - we walked down to the beach through vast and whiffy pigfields but it was too windy and cold to look for Shorelarks so we retired to the excellent Southwold pier for refreshments

The faded glory of the church at Covehithe...

...this area faces rapid coastal erosion and a road I remember walking down to look for a White-tailed Eagle many winters ago is now closed as the tarmac is getting munched into the crumbling cliffs