Lesser s Woodpecker + Two bar Crossbill & Baikal Teal.

We are on the way up the M11 heading to Cambridge for one more try for the Baikal Teal when Brian asks do we want to see Lesser s Woodpecker.
As this is my target bird for the year the answer is lets do it, Brian had meet another birder over Fishers Green & was told of a very good place to see them & as we were very near we had to give it a go.
After parking it's only a few yards to the spot that we hoped would give us all a year tick.
Within minutes we hear tapping that tells us that the bird is near, a scan of the trees & there it is & we get the best view that I have ever had of one, we spend a good hour just watching this cracking little bird.
So off to a great start to the day, we now head up the A11 to find Four balls Farm at Pymoor.
On arrival we find a few birders up on top of the bank with scopes looking out over a small flood pool rather a long way off, but we are told  the  Teal was out there.
After scanning for a few minutes the Baikal Teal is spotted along with Shoveler,Shellduck, Pintail, plus many Teal. It comes & goes in & out of view over the next 30 minutes. We don't hang about to long as it's very windy & cold up on the slope so with a possible lifer in the bag we are off to Lynford Arboretum to search for Crossbill.
The large gates by the lodge are wide open & a few people are inside looking over the puddle where Crossbill often come down to drink, the people who live in the house give us the OK to enter the grounds & soon we are looking at 5 or more Crossbill  in the tree by the puddle & then one by one they drop down to drink, when we find one looks like it maybe a two-barred, some of the birders think it is, but a single fellow thinks it looks a bit dodgy, so with a little doubt in our minds we go in search to find another one.
We walk down by the side of a stream & meet up with 3 birders who put us onto a Hawfinch high up in the trees, very nice that not even having to work for this one.
As we walk on just like buses we hear & see another Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, it's only a fly by but still nice.Grey Wagtail also spotted in a small pool.
Jimmy & I head back to the house for another look by the puddle when I get a phone call from Brian to say a male Two- barred Crossbill was showing well back where we had just come from, so a quick trot back to get a really great view of the bird & this time there is no mistaking it.

Two-barred Crossbill

Red- leg Partridge

Two-barred Crossbill