A slow week with too much work & far too much tedious wind from the north-west! However, yesterday evening the wind started to drop and I chanced a look at the lake - instant reward - partial summer plumage dunlin! Score!
Absolutely flat calm conditions this morning - my favourite for spring at Galley! And it wasn't long before I was back in the year ticks! Evidence of wader migration was still going on in the form of 14 partial summer plumage sanderlings on Long Strand, which was nice. And then a furtive collared dove was cooing hopefully from a telephone pole - he'll be lucky! First collared dove hereabouts since last summer I'd say! They don't breed and only pass through occasionally, though I'm not sure from how far away!
The fourth and final year tick was the best! Whilst scanning yet another hedgerow for a non-existent shrike I heard a snatch of grasshopper warbler reeling away (109). As I got closer, I could see it sitting right out on a bare bramble, before it flew inland to the next dyke - the way it was booting around suggesting it had only just made landfall. My latest ever here, as normally they would be through in the 3rd week of April, and I'd given up hope of getting one this year. A real bonus!
No comments:
Post a Comment