Sunday May 5

Birding alone today, I arrived at Netherstead at about 09.00am. The early sunshine had already given way to substantial cloud cover, but with a light southerly breeze adding warmth the sun frequently got the upper hand.

Today was to tick along nicely, the first notable bird being a rather late Redpoll which I heard around the little copse by Netherstead. The small reedbed played host to the first of a record five singing Sedge Warblers, and then a year tick in the form of a Reed Warbler singing invisibly just a few feet away.

Sedge Warbler

I probably spent too long trying to see it, because whilst walking along a hedge well short of the pool I spotted a long-winged brown wader with a white rump flying away far to the west. It was probably a Curlew but I didn't see it well enough to rule out several other wader species.  

The pool contained proof that the pair of Greylag Geese had bred successfully, although I could only see two small goslings. The ploughed field contained two Wheatears, but the real revelation came at the flashes. After moaning grumpily about the state of the furthest flash on Wednesday, and then being put right by Matt, it was immediately apparent that the work the farmer had done to reflood the area had been dramatically successful

The furthest flash flooded once more

The left hand flash also held a little more water, plus a nice summer-plumaged Dunlin, which was being given a hard time by the local Little Ringed Plovers. Things got even more lively when a second pair of LRPs dropped in. 

Dunlin

Moving on, I heard a Cuckoo calling. It sounded closer than on previous visits, and the calls turned out to be coming from one of two Cuckoos chasing each other over the horizon. 

Encouraged to keep going I decided to return to the flash. On the way I had my second year-tick as a distant falcon revealed itself to be a Hobby.  

The small pond contained a pair of Coot with chicks as well as another of the five Sedge Warblers. 

A look at the insects available as it warmed up gave me Orange Tip and Peacock butterflies, and an interesting bee which I think was a species of Cuckoo Bumblebee.

I've definitely got my enthusiasm back.