Another good spring day with the Ring Ouzel still giving visitors the run around along the river wall and a couple of Greenland Wheatears (see below) promenading on the greensward at the west end. Three Whimbrel, Wood & Common Sandpipers, Greenshank were seen on the pools and the Raven was seen again by a couple of lucky observers. The Hobby seen yesterday was still hawking for insects over the Target Pools during the day while the Grasshopper Warbler reeled merrily by the turnstile.

A male British race Wheatear taken by Priscille Preston on the 16th showing the horizontal stance, fairly short legs an not overly bright plumage compared to this striking beast taken by Russ Sherriff today.

This is almost certainly of the race that flies even further north to Iceland and even Greenland! It is is a bigger heavier bird with longer legs and wings, richer plumage and an upright stance so exaggerated that they look like they are going to fall over backwards. Normally we do not see birds like this till mid-May but there were 15 on Tuesday!