Although the severe winter took such a heavy toll on bird life, it also supplied the birdwatcher, wildfowler and naturalist alike with a mass of interesting observations, as the great struggle between wildlife and the severe frost dragged on and it became more and more apparent that for many of our birds, waterfowl in particular, it had been a losing battle.
Some species of birds seemed quite unable to break away from their normal habitat, or to adapt themselves to circumstances and try to seek a living elsewhere. Foremost among these were the small wading birds, such as the dunlin, redshank and knot. For example, on 14 January I picked up 27 redshank lying dead along the tidemark on Breydon Water, and two days later 44 more
