A BirdLife Christmas Outing: Pink footed geese and Steve the seagull

This week we headed to the Norfolk coast for the science team birding christmas outing. We headed first to RSPB's Titchwell Marsh site where we spent a while chasing a water pipit with our binoculars, saw some soaring peregrine falcons and a nice marsh harrier. We then wandered past lakes full of wildfowl: flocks of brent geese, avocets and the odd ruff. It was nice being out in the fresh air, and it really reminded me of my time back in Slimbridge, though at least this time round I didn't have to follow the brent geese collecting their poo..

We headed up the board walk towards the beach where most of us were distracted by a friendly little black headed gull who enjoyed having his photograph taken. We named him Steve.

On route back along the boardwalk we stumbled across a chinese water deer just over the ditch. It was looking really rather sorry for itself, with large chunks of fur missing and without the usual fangs. Next we drove down the coast a little where we had lovely sights of linnet flocks bounding up and down.

Lastly we headed to Anns drive, Holkolm to see tens of thousands of pink footed geese flying back to the fields at sunset, a great end to the day!