One out of two megas and impressive supporting cast

The lure of two mega rarities drew me south. I began well: arriving at Ludham Bridge on the 30^th December an hour before dusk would enable me at least to check out the main site even if the bird wasn’t showing. Initially, I prepared myself for disappointment as the mega had gone AWOL, but only 15 minutes later, one of my fellow twitchers (this time, I reluctantly counted myself amongst them!) casually pointed out to the small gathering that the bird had just landed in a tree directly opposite us - entirely as predicted (as this was its apparent roosting spot). I quickly got onto the thing, keen not to miss it and then spent the next 15 minutes enjoying spectacular views as it basked in the setting sun (and of course taking photos). The bird in question?

A stunning adult Black-winged Kite! It perched openly on a bare branch at the top of a tree, just across the way on the other side of a marshy area and proceeded to scan its surrounding, presumably in search of prey. Its plumage looked quite immaculate in the perfect light, red eyes included, and although distant, I managed to do the bird justice, I think. After a while of posing in the tree, it took to the air and was then pursued momentarily by a female Marsh Harrier before it eventually disappeared. Amazing! On the way back to the car, I noticed a distant Barn Owl feeding over the fields beyond and took photos of the stunning sunset.

The next day, I returned to Ludham Bridge but headed south from the layby (rather than north where the kite was) in the hope of mopping up the supporting cast at this site. Again, I began well finding the reported Russian White-fronted Geese in a grassy field not far from the footpath. (There were about 20 in total.)

Further on, I was bowled over by my next sighting: a stunning Glossy Ibis (only my third or fourth British bird?) flew right over my head, heading northeast – amazing! Sadly, I was too late with the camera and only managed a rear-end shot as it headed into the sun. Still, this was a second ‘supporting cast’ bird ticked off.

The next sighting was not at all expected, which made it all the more pleasurable. Distinctive ‘pinging calls’ to my right gave away the presence of Bearded Tits – about 10 of them in all, and before long I was taking photos of these too.

In the end, I got some decent shots, which was no mean feat given the inevitable reedy obstructions getting in the way of my images. At the end of my walk, near St Benet’s Abbey, an attractive ruined stone and brick building, I looked for my final target bird – but there was no sign: I was too late for the owls in question and the swans weren’t the ones I had hoped for: just Whooper Swans. Still, I had more good views of Marsh Harrier.

I decided to leave this site and head for the second mega. On the map, it looked only a short drive away, but I hadn’t taken into account the maze of roundabouts and numerous 30-mile-an-hour road limits. Anyway, I eventually arrived at Walberswick beach carpark and set off south down the beach. It was getting very cold now after the long walk, and the wind was also picking up; the prospects weren’t good. Worse: most birders had disappeared and only a few remained. A small area of scrub was our focus, and whilst one fellow birder claimed the bird in question very briefly (Zitting Cisticola), it refused to show itself again. Suddenly I noticed a large heron-like bird heading towards me from the north; initially, I assumed it was a Grey Heron but then realised that the brown/beige plumage could only mean one thing: Bittern! Best of all, the light was perfect; I just needed to compose myself – and the shot! What an amazing view this was, and I was delighted to capture the image on camera – a rare event indeed, especially in this light! (There was also a distant Spotted Redshank on a pool.)

Anyway, it was clear that the rarity wasn’t going to show, so I headed back to the carpark and due north to the Norfolk Broads again. I returned to the owl site south of Ludham Bridge (this time by using the carpark next to the abbey), and I didn’t have to wait long as the sun was already beginning to set. I was, however, somewhat distracted by the sight of three Cattle Egrets pursuing cows in the field right next to the carpark!  (Although no longer a rarity these days, I was keen to capture these birds on film – given how infrequently I encounter them ‘up north’.) Right on cue, a stunning Barn Owl appeared and performed brilliantly for a few minutes enabling me to get some really pleasing images – some of my best of this species (although there is stiff competition!). Icing on the cake came in the form of two Common Cranes flapping past in the fading light, and I was caught between photographing the Cranes and the Barn Owl – a nice dilemma to have! This was also another of my bucket-list supporting cast birds. The final one came very late in the day; the sun had gone down by now, but I stayed for just long enough to latch onto the last species of the day: a beautiful Short-eared Owl. It was too dark for a flight shot, but rather conveniently, it chose to land in the grass, and with my 2x converter now mounted, I was able to get a decent record shot of this most attractive creature. Yes, it was a shame I hadn’t caught the bird in flight, but I still returned to my accommodation very content – it had been another very successful day. If only the Cisticola had shown!

The next day, the 1^st January 2026, I returned to the owl site in time to see a couple of Bewick's Swans disappear into a ditch (annoyingly), and there was no sign of any owls this time, possibly because of the wind getting up. I drove back to Ludham Bridge itself and spotted a couple of very nice Red Kites flying around, but I was keen to move on to Filby Broad – a few miles south-east – for here there were more goodies on show, apparently. Despite the awful light (we were looking almost directly into the sun), I managed to relocate the first of the rarities – a female Ring-necked Duck – a familiar bird to me these days (given the semi-resident Longtown bird). The second rarity was tougher to spot, but with other birders to help me, I got onto it – a stunning drake Ferruginous Duck - and also got some half-decent record shots. It was just a shame about the light. There were plenty of other commoner ducks on display – even Common Eider (!), alongside Pochard, Gadwall, Goldeneye etc. After this, I tried the Cisticola site again but to no avail; there was even a local birder there who offered to try to flush it out, but this was in vain. When everyone else had gone, I watched a passerine in flight near where the rarity had last been seen, but the tail seemed too short/blunt to me and not distinctively shaped, and overall, the bird seemed too dark (Stonechat?)… Either way, I decided not to tick it. Hey ho! I guess you win some, you lose some – and if these birds (there are about 5 apparently) hang around (or even increase in number and breed again), I could always come back in the summer.

The next day, there was an opportunity to catch up with another couple of rare duck species nearby. I drove to my first local patch ever – Titchmarsh NR (Northants). After an initial failed attempt, I was assisted by two other birders who put me onto the rarity in question from North Hide – but from here the bird was impossibly distant. I returned to the southern end of the lake and with some careful ‘fieldwork’, I got close enough to get some record shots of this bird – a superb drake American Wigeon.

Frustratingly, it just wouldn’t come closer and spent much of its time silhouetted against bright sunshine. I would have got some cracking shots of Great Egret here too (from North Hide), but the cold temperature flummoxed my camera, and I was left with nothing to show for the sighting. (At least 3 individuals were seen at this site.) Finally, I popped into another local patch (Eyebrook Reservoir, Rutland) and counted no fewer than 7 Smew (5 drakes) – and even got a few snaps to show for my efforts. Other species worthy of their photo being taken included Little Egret, Lapwing and Teal. It was a lovely way to end a lengthy road trip, and it had also been nice to revisit some old, very familiar haunts. And apart from the rare kite, the long list of impressive birds made it all so much more worthwhile in the end: 2 kite species (including a real mega), 2 owl species, 3 egret species, 3 swan species, 4 rare ducks, harriers galore, Cranes, Bearded Tits… and that amazing Bittern! Not a bad haul all in all!