Wednesday 10 June 2020

The middle of June, cloudy and dull. Hardly worth going birding? Think again. This was my best morning at the patch since lockdown restrictions eased.

The first half an hour was pretty decent. A Grey Wagtail could be heard calling from the dragonfly ponds, but my stealthy approach wasn't stealthy enough as it got up and flew off. My first here since January. A Great Spotted Woodpecker tapping for food in the copse by Netherstead seemed to be ringed, and presented an opportunity to try the video option on my camera.

Well that went quite well. I couldn't see it well enough to read the ring, but I would guess it was a bird ringed here, maybe just last Sunday.

I started walking along the track towards the beehives when I was stopped in my tracks by a singing Garden Warbler. Now this should be an opportunity to record the song as there was clearly no chance of seeing it in the woodland under-storey. I soon found that there was a problem. The bird sang for relatively brief periods with long gaps in between. It would sing, I would record, it would stop. After three attempts had given me fantastic sounds of Chiffchaff, Wren, Robin etc, I finally managed an extract in which the bird turned up. It can be heard briefly at the start, with another short burst about sixteen seconds in. Unfortunately it's not as close as most of the other birds are. Disclaimer over, here it is.

Moving swiftly on, I headed for the flash field where the piece de resistance was waiting for me. A Greenshank was wading around in the rapidly evaporating water.

Greenshank

This was the first passage wader here since the end of March when a Green Sandpiper turned up just before lockdown. Whether it is a late Spring migrant or an early Autumn returner I have no idea. With my new found over-confidence I tried videoing it too.

I don't think I'll be applying for a job on Springwatch.

Also present on the flash was a Little Ringed Plover, not that I could see it. I just heard it calling as I walked along the footpath. The Greenshank was briefly chased by a territorial Lapwing but was still present when I moved on.

Back at the dragonfly ponds two Reed Warblers were singing, but the birds visible in the reeds were a family of Whitethroats.

Juvenile Whitethroat

Now that's what I call a good visit.