I arrived at just after 6.30 this morning for my pre-work amble. It was already warming up fast but was still cool enough to be enjoyable. The river was ternless today but a Golden Plover was the first of the season and five Ringed Plover and three Common Sandpipers were in the Bay with 63 Black-tailed Godwits, a Curlew and a single Avocet.
Godwits...
Curlew, Mallard and Black-headed Gulls
Common Sandpiper
Golden Plover
Yellow Wagtails were pinging around with at least 20 coming up from the feet of the cattle and warblers were once again a feature with the big sallow above the turnstile holding seven species along with Blue and Great Tits while Goldfinches were deconstructing Thistle heads and investigating Teasels.
Blue Tit
Whitethroat
Willow Warbler
The rest of the circuit was fairly quiet although Bearded Tits accompanied me the whole way and I collected so may cobweb threads that I looked like some sort of extra from a Mummy movie by the time I made it through the woodland. There were more warblers in here too but I could not find yesterday's Spotted Flycatchers.
A Grey Heron bogged me out from the top of the Bus Stop and was one of four close encounters I had with immature birds on my way round.
Grey Heron
The temperature is already in the high twenties out there and from my current spot a Buzzard is circling with three Kestrels for company...
Howard Vaughan, Information Officer