Dengemarsh Gully - cool, cloudy, SW 4 - With the recent heatwave all but a distant memory this weeks weather has been dominated by a low pressure system sweeping in off the Atlantic delivering much-needed rain, cooler temperatures and a blustery wind reaching near gale force at times. As a result birding has been difficult with nothing new of note apart from an increase in Swifts and House Martins over the lakes, while I had several small flocks of Swifts coming in off the sea yesterday morning. Today we walked the gully and the foreshore along Penn Bars searching for Ringed Plovers where a single pair was present plus breeding Wheatear, Skylark and Meadow Pipit. In the gully scrub there was plenty of fledgling activity from nesting Linnet, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat and Stonechat but little else. From Springfield bridge a few more Swifts passed over in the strengthening breeze and a Corn Bunting sang from an adjacent weedy field. Also of note this week were two pairs of Little Ringed Plovers with chicks.
