Cloudy with sunny intervals and a few showers. A light to moderate south-westerly breeze.
There was nothing much of interest around Netherstead, but things improved when I reached the pool. A Little Egret, the juvenile Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, and Green Sandpiper were all present. The dry end supported the first Whinchat of the autumn and 10 Pied Wagtails.
The main event though, was the presence of a Stoat which was being mobbed by three Magpies, a Moorhen and later on, the three waders.
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| Stoat and Magpies |
I see the odd Stoat here most years, but they typically disappear in a flash. This one, because it was being tormented by its avian fan club, kept dashing into the longer vegetation, only to reappear seconds later. I therefore had ample opportunity to photograph the species for the first time.
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| Black-tailed Godwit |
Inevitably all the waders ended up on the nearest flash, where I spent a pleasant thirty minutes counting and recounting. My back has been playing up, so I had abandoned the scope in the car. The flashes are where you miss it. My final tallies were 21 Teal, 12 Green Sandpipers, the Black-tailed Godwit, the Greenshank, a Little Ringed Plover, four Snipe, and 32 Greylag Geese.
The return journey was enlivened by several small parties of warblers, which included a Willow Warbler and four Blackcaps. Back at the car about 70 or so hirundines were mainly House Martins, but included a single Sand Martin.
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