A fall of warblers

Lade - 0700hrs - mild, showery am, sunny dry pm, sw 6 - A shocking morning weather-wise with a blasting south-westerly rattling in a succession of heavy showers. However, once the rain stopped and the sun emerged so did a host of warblers around the willow swamp and beside the sheltered ponds. Numbers were difficult to ascertain but Willow, Reed and Sedge Warblers were in the vanguard with at least 30 odd of each, plus lesser numbers of Blackcaps, Whitethroats and two gorgeous Lesser Whitethroats. We spent a very pleasant couple of hours trawling through them in the vain hope that something with tiger stripes or wing-bars would emerge, but it was not to be.
  Elsewhere two Common Sands and a Black-necked Grebe were on south lake, plus hundreds of Sand and House Martins, ten Yellow Wags over, Kingfisher and Great Spotted Woodpecker from the causeway.

                                    Sedge Warbler, Lade

                                 Willow Warbler, Lade

Burrowes - Despite the buffeting wind there was plenty to see from the hides around the lake with Makepeace being the most profitable for waders. Two Wood Sandpipers and Ruff were the highlights plus four Common Sandpipers, three Dunlins, two Redshanks, Lapwing and Oystercatcher. From Firth hide a selection of terns and gulls was of interest, plus a crèche of ten juv Shelducks. A party of ten Yellow Wagtails headed south and a couple of Marsh Harriers struggled to remain airborne over the Oppen pits. On the way out a Great White Egret flew over the fields at Boulderwall heading towards Dengemarsh.

                                Common and Sandwich Terns, Burrowes

Lade - Checked the gravel pit for waders this aft but all we could muster up was a couple of Common Sands and a Little Ringed Plover, plus the usual roosting Curlews and Oycs.