Needing one more species to progress to 150 on my year list, I read with interest that a drake smew had been spotted at WkWT Brandon Marsh yesterday. It was reported to have still been present at dusk and so I left home to arrive at first light.
When I got to Swallow Pool there were a couple of people already running circuits but there was no sign of the smew - another curse for Saturday morning birding. 
The bird wasn't located all morning and appears to have moved under cover of darkness. While running my own circuits I did manage to find centi's warbler (#150) and so not all lost, although I could find any redpoll either; I did disturb a small flock of likely candidates but they flew off against the grey sky and I didn't manage any ID.
I spent the rest of my time in the East Marsh Hide but didn't see anything of consequence and the bittern didn't show, despite recent performances for massed crowds.
Sightings (33) were: black-headed gull, blackbird, blue tit, canada goose, carrion crow, cetti's warbler, chaffinch, coal tit, common gull, coot, cormorant, dunnock, great black-backed gull, great tit, grey heron, greylag goose, lapwing, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, reed bunting, robin, shelduck, shoveler, starling, teal, tufted duck, whooper swan, wigeon, willow tit, woodpigeon and wren.
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