Friday May 17

A cloudy and rather cool morning with a few spots of rain and a moderate easterly. Definitely a day for looking for birds and not insects.

It didn't take me long to add to my patch year-list this morning as I watched three Swifts from Netherstead as they hurried towards Studley in the distance. The reed bed contained two singing Reed Warblers, a Sedge Warbler, and a Reed Bunting, but there was a surprise awaiting me in the little copse on the way to the pool. The Willow Warbler which has been singing perfectly normally until now, has started mixed singing.

Continuing on to the pool another surprise was in store. A Common Sandpiper was feeding around the puddle which is all that is left of it.

Common Sandpiper

I certainly didn't see this species here last year, and I have a feeling the last one was in 2016. The flash field just doesn't attract them, but the tiny bit of mud that is all that is left of the pool has done the trick.

Moving on to the flash field itself, there was more interesting stuff to see. The pair of Shelducks was back, and also two pairs of Gadwall. Three Little Ringed Plovers remain, and have been joined by the second Ringed Plover of the year.

Ringed Plover

Panning left from that I discovered that the Greenshank (presumably the same) seen on Wednesday evening was still present, and better still was now a lot closer.

Greenshank

Gadwall

I was trying to count singing birds along a transect this morning, so I retraced my steps back to the car. At the end of the season I'll share the full results of this year's breeding survey.

The Common Sandpiper was my 108th species for the year here, which equals the total number I saw on the patch last year. It really has been a special Spring.