A whirlwind trip out to Essex for a night, and then a full day's walking out on the Naze under clear blue skies and watery winter sunshine. Without another soul around, we walked around the scrub and reserve area, before setting off along the beach, with the saltmarsh on one side and the shingle, mud and sand on the other, to Stone Point.
Always a pleasure, especially under such perfect midwinter conditions, and the tide was on our side for getting close to the various wader, wildfowl and gull species (as well as resting Grey Seals). Waders were especially numerous, with good numbers of all the regular wintering species, including Grey Plovers, Dunlins, Sanderlings, Bar-tailed Godwits, Curlews, Ringed Plovers, Lapwings, Golden Plovers, Turnstones, Redshanks, Oystercatchers and Knot; Wildfowl were also well represented, with the always entertaining Brents in their thousands being the pick.
Other highlights included at least nine Little Egrets, four Med Gulls, and four Corn Buntings with the finch flocks on the set-aside - the first time I've come across the latter species at the Naze.