A few year ticks

Monday is all day in the field day. The high pressure conditions persist with a north easterly cool wind strengthening through the day.  I started off at the Bill HERE with the gang which was pretty good with highlights including the local year's first Hobby in-off, two Swifts (year tick). a Black-throated and four Great Northern Divers, 8 Whimbrel, 2 Barwit,  4 Grey Plover, 1 Dunlin, 19 Little Terns and 18 Common Terns on the move. There was also a Yellow Wagtail over and a Yellowhammer again by the Bill House.

It was then onto the Ferry area HERE where highlights included 10 Whimbrel in the harbour, Spotted Redshank and Greenshank together in Ferry Channel, 4 Red Kite circling high together south of Ferry, another Swift over and a clear increase in Reed Warbler numbers with at least 7 singing birds. There was also a couple of Lesser Whitethroats singing.

I then met Holly and Isaac for Lunch and then it was off to East Head HERE where highlights included a single Brent Goose in Snowhill Marsh, 15 Whimbrel and 1 Barwit on East Head high tide roost area, Common Snipe and Greenshank on Snowhill Marsh, two Wheatears, a couple of Willow Warblers and another Lesser Whitethroat. 

Final stop of the day was to Church Norton HERE where there was a cracking Nightingale singing away along the path from the car park. There were also 6 Whimbrel out in the harbour, 5 Common Terns, a surprising group of 12 Common Gulls (haven't seen many in a while) and a couple of Willow Warblers and a Goldcrest singing. 

The Hobby, Swifts and Nightingale were lcoal year ticks. Now on 158 for the year. 

Whimbrels (above) and 2 Whimbrel, 1 Barwit and 4 Grey Plover (below) on the move past the Bill. Things are slowly picking up on the wader migration with numbers of Whimbrels also building in the estuaries. 

Gannets

Yellowhammer on the Bill House. Not a common bird at the Bill but we had one a week or so ago so maybe hanging around

Male Wheatear at East Head

Female Whitethroat at Church Norton- plenty of singing males around but the first female I've seen 

Sandwich Terns at Norton. I only logged six or so from the Bill this morning so seems like most have migrated in already. 

Two minutes of Common Nightingale singing at Church Norton giving a nice repetoire including long intro notes, long machine gun rattles, loud 'tueets' and croaking amongst the splendid melodic phrases. Also Goldfinch, Chiffchaff, Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Wren, Blackcap, Mediterranean Gull and Rook providing the backing singers to this lovely Spring chorus.