Monday April 10 - By the skin of my teeth

 Before I get onto today's efforts, yesterday deserves a mention. I didn't go to Morton Bagot, but its seems everyone else did. There was a record attendance in my absence, with at least four birders present. I'll try not to take it personally. 

Dave and Andy G spent the morning there, and John C and Gary J the afternoon. Their most notable records were at least seven (and probably nine) Avocets, two Wheatears, a Willow Warbler, a Little Ringed Plover, a Red Kite, a Green Sandpiper, two Shelduck, and three Sand Martins.

This morning it was pretty wet, so I had decided to go to Earlswood even before I learned that a pair of Common Scoters had dropped in. I didn't exactly hurry to get there, so I was pretty lucky when at approximately 09.00 John O and Joe O pointed to where the pair were swimming and as I looked at them they promptly took off. They headed to the far end of Windmill Pool before banking and returning to fly low over our heads, the male calling just audibly, before more circling saw them gaining height and heading off north. There was no time to get my camera out, but I am grateful I saw them at all.

Also present were two Common Terns, and approximately 110 hirundines which I logged as 80 Sand Martins and 30 Swallows. 

Some of the hirundines perched on foliage on the rafts

Common Tern

I decided to walk to Terry's Pool, the highlight being a first winter/summer Common Gull which I'm embarrassed to say was another year-tick.

Common Gull

The rain slowly eased and the hirundines departed. Plenty of breeding activity was evident including sitting Carrion Crow , two sitting Grey Herons, with Greylag Goose, Coot, and Great Crested Grebe also incubating. A pair of Mallard had a brood of chicks.

I returned to the causeway where there was now quite a gaggle of birders. They had seen a Red Kite but not much else that was new. I decided to go and see how my mum was doing before heading home via Mappleborough Green Flash.

This last venue brought me my last year tick of the day, a singing Cetti's Warbler, and a personal site record count of four Little Egrets. Sadly no waders had dropped in, so it was just the usual three Little Ringed Plovers and twenty Teal.