...to the setting of the sun, there's always something special to see at Minsmere, and the beauty of winter is that you don't need either an early start of a late finish to enjoy both on the same day.
Today was one of those magical days that both thrilled and frustrated but was guaranteed to provide some spectacular scenery even if some of the wildlife remained hidden.
The night's freezing fog was already burning off on my journey to work: an orange glow lighting up the sky and silhouetting roadside trees through the patchy mist.
Trees emerging through the mist at Henham this morning
It was pretty spooky driving down the entrance road this morning in the mist
Though the mist hung over Minsmere's icy wetlands for much of the day, it did clear enough for our guides to spot some interesting wildlife. Two female goosanders briefly at Island Mere were a highlight - one seen later on the Scrape may have been one of the same birds. Island Mere was a good place to see water rails, with at least three seen this morning, while other sightings there included kingfisher, bittern, marsh harriers, bearded tits and snipe.
Spot the snipe - there is one, honest. Gulls and grey heron on the ice at Island Mere
The feeders were, predictably, a hive of activity around the visitor centre, while several siskins, song thrushes and goldcrests were among the smaller birds seen in the woods.
Out of the Scrape, an avocet was unseasonal and black-tailed godwit numbers reached an impressive 18. The usual ducks and lapwings were all present too, and another water rail was seen on East Scrape.
As dusk approached, I headed out to the North Wall in search of starlings. They were later arriving tonight, but the wait was worth it for the spectacular sunset.
And when this magpie landed in the perfect spot it got even better.
The starlings did eventually arrive, but unfortunately i wasn't in the best place to watch them. I had chosen to stand on the North Wall as they have been roosting in North Marsh, but tonight all of the action was over the southern part of the Scrape, then behind South Hide. In the end I estimated probably as many as 20 000 tonight, but in the fading light it was difficult to be sure. Eventually most of the settled to roost in the reedbed behind South Hide, though a few thousand did return north, over my head, to settle for the night in North Marsh.
Some of the starlings against the sunset
We weren't done yet, though, as, incredibly, I spotted a pipistrelle bat feeding over the pond. While December records are not unknown, it was a surprise after a couple of very cold nights.
(All photos by Ian Barthorpe)
(PS: the snipe is almost hidden behind the grey heron - thanks to our guide, Charles, for spotting it!)
My friend and I were watching nearer the sea wall and saw a stag and 3 hinds under thorn bushes by the wall.