Chevvy Chat.

Above - Male Whinchat, East Chevington Pools. He's a nice 'un

Out early again today. Rain was quite steady from 06.10 - 08.00. Overcast, mild with a SW3.

I started the morning off at Boulmer, seawatching from the lifeboat car park trying to stay dry. 16 Black tailed Godwits flew north about half a mile offshore. Although distant, they were very welcome as they are barely annual here.
7 Knot were on the beach, one coming into breeding plumage, sporting a brick red face and some blackish scapulars making it look like a giant red necked stint.

A Lesser Whitethroat was rattling its song from the tiny bramble thicket in the car park. After some manoeuvring it showed quite well. A check of other spots in the village, caravan site and golf course roadside scrub produced a small fall of spring migrants consisting of another 2 Lesser Whitethroats and 9+ Willow Warblers.

I thought today would be a good day to pop down to East Chevington for a chat with the lads and to see what this rain has dropped in. The rest of the morning was spent looking around the pools and scrub and it appeared that several new birds had arrived overnight. There were -
3 Lesser Whitethroats ( seems like a good arrival of these birds), 15 Wheatears, 4 Sedge Warblers, 3+ Grasshopper Warblers, 1 male Yellow Wagtail flew over, the worlds brightest male Whinchat was flycatching from a wire fence, 2 drake Garganey were fighting over the small south pools, 1 female Ruddy Duck ( not yet shot), 2 Little Grebe, 3 Great crested Grebe, hundreds of hirundines over the north pool with numbers very difficult to assess, maybe 200+ Sand Martins with a few Swallows and House Martins, 4 Whooper Swan flew N, 45+ Black tailed Godwits of the icelandic form, 2 Goldeneye and 13 Red throated Divers on the sea.

And for the Boulmer list today -
104. Black tailed Godwit.
105. Lesser Whitethroat.