We got back early Sunday morning (a Cuckoo was calling in the lane along with three singing Whitethroats) and I did the usual birding walk in the evening from here to Mill Lane Marsh via Ferry and back HERE. Highlights included 8 Whimbrel around Ferry and the Channel, a Greenshank, a Green Sandpiper, good numbers of Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Sedge and Reed Warbler and a light passage of Swallow with a single Sand Martin. Certainly a lot more warblers have arrived since I've been away. In the evening a couple of Green Sandpipers flew over the garden calling too.
Yesterday I was in London but it was a late start as I had to drop Holly off to pick up her car so I put the light trap on and had a few new for year moths. In the evening I got back at about 10pm and could hear an Avocet calling (probably from Ferry) and a Barn Owl was calling too.
This morning I joined the Selsey Bill seawatch but the predicted southeasterlies did not materialise (there was a tight low pressure that produced easterlies further east of us and there was good drift migration up the Thames, with Arctic Skua and Wood Sand at Beddington, Barwits inland, 120+ Arctic Tern at Staines and Farmoor, Poms at Dungeness), instead the wind was a dreaded south-westerly here. It was pretty terrible in comparison HERE highlights included a few Kittiwakes moving west, two to three Fulmars, some Little Terns, Common Scoters and Sandwich Terns dripping past east, a Hobby in-off and a Wheatear on the houses. Amazing how localised differences in wind direction can make so much difference. Hobby was a patch year tick, now on 152.
While I was away the Hoopoe action reached fever pitch with two birds calling and courting with eachother most of the week but duly departed before I got back. I'm truely jinxed with Hoopoe round here and only saw one in flight in Cyprus too.
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