Sunday 1st May 2016

Light southerlies produced a window of movement for many species today with highlights including 2 Red Kites drifting over west, an Osprey which passed offshore, 5 Whimbrel near Thornham Harbour, 5 Little Terns and a Common Tern west on the sea, a Short-eared Owl on the NWT reserve, 1 Hobby passing through, a Peregrine, 2 Sand Martins, 40+ Swallows, 6 House Martins, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 5 Chiffchaffs, 20+ Willow Warblers, 8 Blackcaps, 6 Lesser Whitethroats, 10 Whitethroats, a Grasshopper Warbler, 2 Turtle Doves, 3 Cuckoos, 14 Sedge Warblers, 2 Reed Warblers, a Ring Ouzel, Whinchat and Stonechat in the dunes on the NWT, 30+ Yellow Wagtails with the cattle on the grazing marsh, and 4 Redpolls over calling.

A search in the morning from Walsey Hills for the Temminck's Stint seen the previous evening proved fruitless, but on the marsh a lone Spoonbill was actively feeding. Elsewhere on Pope's and Arnold's marshes were 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 12 Ringed Plovers, 3 Ruff, 29 Dunlins and 2 Yellow Wagtails - 58 Brent Geese also remained. In the scrub and reeds at Walsey 6 Chiffchaffs, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Common Whitethroat, 6 Blackcaps, 4 Sedge Warblers and 1 Reed Warbler were singing or feeding. Overhead a small number of Swallows, a party of 3 Yellow Wagtails and a Siskin flew west, whilst 11 Common Swifts were noted moving along the beach.

One of several typically confiding Common Lizards - Walsey Hills, May 2016