Wednesday 13 April 2016

Wow, today definitely qualifies as a good arrival and passage day

Taking a slight detour to the Hoopoe site and of course not seeing it, I arrived later and decided to head for the Nightingale area, passing 3 Willow Warbler en route. At the base of the BSL view point, I waited for a few moments before one Nightingale gave a few bursts of song.

Moments later Marek was sending WhatsApp meesages, "Lesser Whitethroat in the car park field & Common Sandpiper at the sailing club". I headed back quickly, moved my car, noting Marek's was now next to mine before I left.

I had barely crossed the road when Marek called saying "Adult Little Gull in front of Ron's hide", so ran back to my car and headed off there even more quickly.

It had moved to the landfill by the time I got there, but there it was a near adult Little Gull, then it flew to the shingle island, then off to the South, then East and lost, only to return 10 minutes later and landed right in front of the hide again, what a star.




The mist began to clear and whilst panning around before the Little Gull returned I picked up a Common Sandpiper in the NE corner. A Common Tern also went over.

So I left missing the Lesser Whitethroat and no sign of the Cuckoo.

I hadn't been home long, when the phone rang, it was Brian and I though "when it's not an IM, or text it had to be good". He said "I have a Ring Ouzel in the car park field".

I was there in 4 minutes and it only took another 10 before it showed a 1st Winter Ring Ouzel, the first since 15th April 1988. Very nice and despite not bringing my iPhone digi sleeve, I managed a few okay shots, highly cropped of course.









A 4 year tick morning and did I care about missing 2 others? No of course not, it leaves me 3 on site to get, in the form of the laziest Cuckoo in the county and a Lesser Whitethroat that just chose not to call when I was in the car park field, not forgetting Reed Warbler, which I presume is about somewhere.

My year list is tracking well against 2012, if I can get the other 3 before the 20th, I am ahead for now.

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