I quit early and headed for BSL, finding 4 Common Tern in the quickly receding mist, a loop to Bittern hide, 2 Sedge Warbler singing, 1 at the back of the scrape, the other from the main island. A pair of Oystercatcher appeared to be checking out the old Tern island. 1 pair of Teal was all else.
Off round the car park field and at the bottom I checked all the vents, then panned left and found a small passerine on one of the piles of stacked branches, it moved left, but I got onto it with the scope and it was the first Whitethroat of this year, a male sunning himself. My 103rd species this year.
Looking back on previous arrival dates, Whitethroat is one of the most consistent, since records began it has arrived on ;
14th 5 times
15th 3 times
16th 5 times
It has arrived earlier of course, 9th 2011, 10th 2009 & 2010, the 7th being earliest 1991, latest being 27th 1980 & 1998.
No bird shots today, just sunrise
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