Cool, wet am, warm, showery pm, light airs - Spent the day guiding for Clare and Peter from London in much anticipated rain; in fact, our first decent soaking for ages! We concentrated on waders commencing at the old Scotney sandpit where the highlight was a large flock of c300 Golden Plovers in an adjacent corn field, while the lake held numerous wildfowl including singles of Shelduck and Wigeon plus a couple of Common Sandpipers around the margins. Hundreds of hirundines (mostly Sand Martins) swarmed over the water along with two Swifts, and a variety of common warblers were noted in bramble scrub by the main track. It was then onto the bird reserve to dry out and hide-hop around Burrowes. From Firth lookout the White-winged Black Tern was still present alongside two Black and numerous Common Terns; waders on the sand bars included: 25 Ringed and six Little Ringed Plovers, two Dunlins, three Common Sandpipers and singles of Snipe and Greenshank. From Hanson hide we logged Great White Egret, Garganey, Hobby, Marsh Harrier and a few more common waders. We finished the day at Lade Bay on the incoming tide where the highlights were 50 Dunlins, 30 Ringed Plovers, 20 Sanderlings, two Knots and 20 Sandwich Terns, and at the pits for more wildfowl, egrets and grebes. Wheatear, Yellow Wagtails, Kestrel and Raven were also noted today. A cracking day all round in fine company with 80 species recorded and some extremely good views of waders and terns.
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