White Wagtail

Lade - murky start, but warm, hazy sunshine from mid-morning onwards - Very little of note on the pits although Skylarks put on a show with at least 5 singers on the wing.
ARC - A couple of stabs here with the first at 0900hrs delivering a cracking male White Wagtail at the south end from the causeway road; couldn't find it by early afternoon though. Over the road the resident 8 Smews on New Diggings plus the Great White Egret noted. Bearded Tits were heard `pinging` in front of Hanson and the Penduline Tit showed again this afternoon at the far end of the willow trail.

                                          White Wagtail, ARC - a poor record shot


Littlestone Golf Course - Finished a half hearted kind of a day in some style with distant views of a Short-eared Owl quartering over the golf course rough.  However, far more impressive (and a year tick, not that I`m keeping a tally...) was a barrelling, brown Merlin which put on quite a show chasing after a Skylark, that continued to sing despite being inches from death. The chase continued out over the bay with the lark jinking hither and thither just in time to avoid the clutching yellow, talons. I know the Merlin`s got to eat, but it was good to report that she gave up after the sixth attempt; not many Skylarks about, and there`s plenty of Starlings knocking around. Funniest part of all though was that the lark continued singing skywards as if nothing had happened!