A clear bright day with a light SW>3 turning W>4 with cloudy sunshine. The morning temperature was 10 degrees rising to 18 degrees by late afternoon.
The highlight of the day was 2 Whimbrel over this morning which were nearly missed. I was scoping the shoreline when I heard the call overhead and looked up just in time to get the 2 in the bins before they flew into the sun and were lost.
Swifts and House Martins were moving whilst several of the latter are still breeding at the top of Whitegate but no Sand Martin for me yet this year.
Another walk on the west bank found 4 juv Wheatear over on the Robin rocks with one having a very near miss with a juv Peregrine.
There are 2 juv Peregrines daily now which are a real pain clearing everything from the shoreline. So far in the last few days they have taken out 2 LBB gulls, a feral pigeon and possibly a Ringed Plover.
A pair of Pied Wagtails that have bred by the boathouse for several years and are now furbishing their nest for a yet another late brood, after being around since April, came to an end today when I returned late afternoon to find all that was left of the male was a circle of feathers near to the nest site, courtesy of the Pere or Merlin. The female carried on bringing material to the nest sight.
All Curlew seem to have left the area now.
Visible Migration
2 Whimbrel....................>SE
1m +1 juv Ringed Plover......blogging
c 50 Swifts....................>SE
18 House Martins........>SE
4 juv Wheatear...............blogging
2 Oystercatchers............blogging
Present
2 juv Peregrine
1 f Merlin
+ usual sp.
BS