Grey Plover tops the finds on a big weekend of movement

A beauty - Grey Plover

Grey Plover with a Dunlin

Greenshank

Barn Swallow

Quite a show

Skylark

Wheatear

Common Tern

Another extended weekend of local birding with a Bank Holiday. Easterly winds with showers was just what we needed to get the waders moving through & they duly did. I visited every day from Thursday through to Monday, sometimes twice so I will try and summarise the sightings as best as possible.

Chris Lane left us for the Anglesey tern colony again and signed off with an Osprey heading north west on Thursday afternoon at 3.20pm. Later in the evening my visit only resulted in a large number of Barn Swallows feeding on the main pit.

Despite the showers & wind on Friday & Saturday it only resulted in two additional Common Sandpipers & my first Lesser Whitethroats in the main pit hedgerow.

Jon, the Squire & I made an early start on Sunday full of expectation. Pophills continued to be poor but I did get my first Grey Wagtail for the year on site which had been eluding me. Over at the main pit we were pleased with our first Dunlin but we still felt rather delated. As we turned to watch two remaining Wheatear a Grey Plover, in summer plumage, landed on the main spit ! At last a real beauty ! Whilst you always see many when on the coast they is always something special when one appears on your local patch. 

We continued around the normal circuit where the Sedge & Reed Warblers were doing their best to think we are at Minsmere but then nothing different on the south lagoons but was good to see the returning pair of Shelducks getting settled.

After catching up with Andy W we headed back to the main pit and as we did so two Greenshank flew straight over our heads and then landed steeply on the main pit. After a very short stay they continued their journey north east. Another patch year tick !

The action didn't stop there as whilst we were looking for the first Swifts a single Black Tern past over & at the same time a Black-tailed Godwit flew east. I couldn't keep up with texts and my notebook. The Black Tern was Jon's first record at the site so a real bonus for him. Later in the day the Squire returned and picked up a Little Egret flyover & another 5 Black Terns. Quite a day.

Monday turned into a bit of a disappointment after Sundays exploits but we did add Common Tern & three Swifts to the patch year list. That has now reached a pleasing 118. I did manage to find Mark Clarke his first Wheatear on the evening shift & we both enjoyed the bird at close quarters.