November 2023 has so far seen lots of wet and windy days but we've had some lovely moments of sunshine in amongst it- appreciated all the more for their rarity. Here's the highlights of what visitors, volunteers and staff have spotted or heard in November so far:Siskin - these can be seen daily in the tops of the Alder and Silver birch trees around the Visitor Centre and car park area.Redwing - 72 flew overhead on 4 November*Fieldfare - 447 flew overhead on 4 November*Brambling - 4 flew overhead on 4 November*Great spotted woodpecker - seen by our volunteer Mark on the Visitor Centre feeders on 3 NovemberWater pipit - these could probably be seen every day in the marshy edges of the river, viewable from the public footpath, but one was recorded on 4 NovemberWhooper swan - 180 were counted on 4 November (early morning)* and 4 at 8:30am by Paul Holness on 5 NovemberMute swan - 11 seen by Paul on 5 NovemberMarsh harrier - 2 in flight over the Washland on 3 NovemberKingfisher - 1 seen on the Visitor Centre pool early on 5 NovemberPintail - 1 on the Washland on 4 November*Goldeneye - 1 drake seen diving in the river from the public footpath east of the Washland Viewpoint (halfway to the Wilton Bridge.Wigeon - 3 on the Washland on 1 NovemberGreat white egret - 4 on the small pool near the Wilton Bridge on 1 November, 2 on the Washland proper on 3 November and 1 today (5 November) Little egret - 4 on the small pool near the Wilton Bridge on 1 NovemberCormorant - 2 on the Washland on 3 NovemberYellow-legged gull - 1 on the Washland on 4 November*Lesser black-backed gull - 4 on the Washland on 1 November* these sightings were given to us by Pete Wilson- credit and thanks to him for counting all those Fieldfare!Because they're such cracking birds, it's worth me mentioning that David White spotted a Waxwing in flight over the Visitor Centre at the start of our last guided walk on 27 October. It called as it flew over but was fairly high and didn't seem to settle on the reserve. We hoped there may have been more in tow but we haven't noticed any. They have more of an affinity for berry bushes in urban areas, and it did head in the direction of Brandon, but who knows where it ended up!The Goldeneye is unlikely to still be here, as we don't have the areas of very deep water which they favour- they are deep divers (up to forty feet!) and it's likely that we were just an emergency refuelling stop on it's migration to more suitable spots. Nearby Lackford Lakes has historically been a good place to look for them (although the past couple of years haven't seen many records) as well as Alton Water (near Ipswich) and Abberton Reservoir (near Colchester) so passage birds aren't necessarily going much further when they pause with us.Despite the high rainfall of recent weeks the reserve is still fairly easy walking underfoot- waterproof boots or shoes should be enough to keep you dry. The only standing water we know of is the low-lying patch of ground on the way to the Photography Station from the Visitor Centre- but even this is still passable on the higher side of the path. We now need wellies on to fill the feeders at the Photo Station, but the seating area is dry.As always- we love receiving your sightings and they help us build a picture of what wildlife we have here using the reserve- for our own records- and for future visitors' benefit too.With best wishes for the week ahead,Heidi Jones (Visitor Experience Officer, RSPB Lakenheath Fen).