Today was one of those rare days when we travelled to see something we've not seen in the UK before. It doesn't happen often, partly because we've birded abroad extensively and so it really isn't something new, partly because we're not fans of large groups and also partly because we've actually seen a lot of UK birds since the mid 80s.
So we drove to Heybridge, not at all a site that could be birded, being a tiny piece of rough ground between a housing estate and some industrial units. The bird was absent and the wind was very cold, but we at least knew we'd see it if it turned up.
After about 45 minutes a bird flew across the watercourse, Chris heard it call but I was looking for where it had dropped from the reed stem where it first landed. I soon found it working along the left hand side of the bank away from us. A few others got on to it, then more as it flew across to the right hand water's edge and began working towards us.
We had some very nice views.
So that's a new species seen in the UK for us, some years we don't even manage that but this year we have the new bird early in the year.