SATURDAY 3 APRIL
A day of SW winds and heavy cloud which cleared later to give way to clear skies.
MARSWORTH RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)
Highlight of the day was a SANDWICH TERN which was flying back and forth between the east (Bucks) end of the reservoir and the reedbed end. The bird was showing very well and was under constant observation from 1300-1335 hours. The yellow tip to the bill was obvious, whilst the white trailing edge to the secondaries was apparent, a white rump and a single dark feather in the upper tail.
Whilst observing, a flock of 43 COMMON GULLS flew east, with other birds of note including 12 Great Crested Grebes, 8 Common Buzzards, Sparrowhawk, Grey Wagtail, Common Chiffchaff and two different singing CETTI’S WARBLERS.
On neighbouring STARTOP’S END RESERVOIR, the drake Red-crested Pochard was still present, whilst by the sewage works, a male Eurasian Skylark was in song and a male Blackcap.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR
The EGYPTIAN GOOSE was still present with Canada and Greylag Geese in the fields in Cemetery Corner, with a pair of Eurasian Wigeon still present on the reservoir, a drake Common Teal, 20 Gadwall, 154 Tufted Ducks, 5 Northern Pochard, 2 Mute Swans, 7 Black-headed Gulls, a first-summer COMMON GULL, 15 Sand Martins, a male and female YELLOW WAGTAIL and a singing Common Chiffchaff in the Poplar Wood on the East Bank.
GROVEBURY SAND PIT (BEDFORDSHIRE)
I met up with Grovebury patchworker Johnny Lynch who had seen a cracking male Common Redstart not long before I arrived. We both had an extensive search of the hedgerow but it appeared that the bird had moved straight through.
The main pit held 5 remaining GOOSANDER (including 2 adult drakes) and a pair of Common Teal, whilst in the damp field adjoining, a pair of EURASIAN CURLEW were showing well – my first in Beds this year. A YELLOW WAGTAIL flew over calling, whilst European barn Swallow and Common Chiffchaff were also noted.
SHELLNESS POINT, ISLE OF SHEPPEY (NORTH KENT)
During late afternoon, a female KENTISH PLOVER was discovered in North Kent and knowing how difficult this species is to connect with in Britain on an annual basis, I decided that this bird was worth the effort, being only 96 miles away. I met up with Joan Thompson at Chorleywood and drove down to Sheppey to coincide with the evening high tide.
I had not visited Shellness Point since the fine Terek Sandpiper there but the rough access track had changed little since that time. I eventually managed to dodge all of the deep craters and arrived in the car park with my exhaust still intact. It was a fairly muddy walk out to the blockhouse watchpoint but on arrival at 1730 hours, the female KP was still present and showing well in the high tide roost of birds all pitched up high on the shingle ridge – including over 350 Oystercatchers, 15 Ringed Plover, 18 Dunlin and a single Sanderling.
The KENTISH PLOVER was a female or first-summer, being typically much smaller than the accompanying Ringed Plovers, very white on the underparts, paler sandy-brown upperparts and with a broken, narrow breast-band. It also had a shorter tail, longer wings, a somewhat squat appearance and a slim, all-dark bill.
A day of SW winds and heavy cloud which cleared later to give way to clear skies.
MARSWORTH RESERVOIR, TRING (HERTS)
Highlight of the day was a SANDWICH TERN which was flying back and forth between the east (Bucks) end of the reservoir and the reedbed end. The bird was showing very well and was under constant observation from 1300-1335 hours. The yellow tip to the bill was obvious, whilst the white trailing edge to the secondaries was apparent, a white rump and a single dark feather in the upper tail.
Whilst observing, a flock of 43 COMMON GULLS flew east, with other birds of note including 12 Great Crested Grebes, 8 Common Buzzards, Sparrowhawk, Grey Wagtail, Common Chiffchaff and two different singing CETTI’S WARBLERS.
On neighbouring STARTOP’S END RESERVOIR, the drake Red-crested Pochard was still present, whilst by the sewage works, a male Eurasian Skylark was in song and a male Blackcap.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR
The EGYPTIAN GOOSE was still present with Canada and Greylag Geese in the fields in Cemetery Corner, with a pair of Eurasian Wigeon still present on the reservoir, a drake Common Teal, 20 Gadwall, 154 Tufted Ducks, 5 Northern Pochard, 2 Mute Swans, 7 Black-headed Gulls, a first-summer COMMON GULL, 15 Sand Martins, a male and female YELLOW WAGTAIL and a singing Common Chiffchaff in the Poplar Wood on the East Bank.
GROVEBURY SAND PIT (BEDFORDSHIRE)
I met up with Grovebury patchworker Johnny Lynch who had seen a cracking male Common Redstart not long before I arrived. We both had an extensive search of the hedgerow but it appeared that the bird had moved straight through.
The main pit held 5 remaining GOOSANDER (including 2 adult drakes) and a pair of Common Teal, whilst in the damp field adjoining, a pair of EURASIAN CURLEW were showing well – my first in Beds this year. A YELLOW WAGTAIL flew over calling, whilst European barn Swallow and Common Chiffchaff were also noted.
SHELLNESS POINT, ISLE OF SHEPPEY (NORTH KENT)
During late afternoon, a female KENTISH PLOVER was discovered in North Kent and knowing how difficult this species is to connect with in Britain on an annual basis, I decided that this bird was worth the effort, being only 96 miles away. I met up with Joan Thompson at Chorleywood and drove down to Sheppey to coincide with the evening high tide.
I had not visited Shellness Point since the fine Terek Sandpiper there but the rough access track had changed little since that time. I eventually managed to dodge all of the deep craters and arrived in the car park with my exhaust still intact. It was a fairly muddy walk out to the blockhouse watchpoint but on arrival at 1730 hours, the female KP was still present and showing well in the high tide roost of birds all pitched up high on the shingle ridge – including over 350 Oystercatchers, 15 Ringed Plover, 18 Dunlin and a single Sanderling.
The KENTISH PLOVER was a female or first-summer, being typically much smaller than the accompanying Ringed Plovers, very white on the underparts, paler sandy-brown upperparts and with a broken, narrow breast-band. It also had a shorter tail, longer wings, a somewhat squat appearance and a slim, all-dark bill.
The Kentish Plover was rudely awoken from its roost by a Ringed Plover and shortly later, a proportion of the smaller waders flew a short way north to feed on the first mud being uncovered by the receding tide. This enabled us (JT and myself, photographer Geoff Cox and eight other Kent local birders) to obtain some excellent views of the bird and for the next half an hour, it fed busily on the receding tideline and affording views down to 30 yards. On closer inspection, the bird was seen to be ringed on its right leg. We departed at 1810 hours.
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