Pygmy in the middle

There are several rarities around in Belgium at the moment, including a long-staying female Desert Wheatear and a horribly elusive Dusky Warbler most people only get to hear, both at the coast, where a Surf Scoter has also been found lurking amongst the offshore flock of 1400+ Common Scoters.  At the opposite end of the country, this lovely, 1st-winter Red-flanked Bluetail has been present since at least 5 January and showing well most days, except, of course, the one day I went to look for it!  That was my only attempt at birding outside of Brussels so far this year and, with the rarities in the far east or west of the country, it was high time something else turned up closer to home.  Sure enough, I discovered on Saturday that a Pygmy Cormorant had just been found in Brussels, pretty much half-way between the coastal rarities and the Bluetail!  This is a mega rarity with only 4 previous records in Belgium.  I was working all weekend but managed to go and see it before work on Sunday, thus making it the 311th species on my Belgian list.  The early-morning light wasn't great for photography but the second picture shows just how diminutive it is thanks to the Common Pochard in the background.