Great White Egret & Wryneck

Lade - 0700hrs - cool, cloudy, nw2 - A chilly start to the day soon improved as the sun broke through by mid-morning. There were few grounded migrants around the local patch this morning with just  one or two Willow Warblers and Common Whitethroats, 12 Yellow Wagtails and 50 Sand Martins over the water. However, there were plenty of Sedge and Reed Warblers in the reed swamp and a wide range of birds across the site including waders coming off the bay - 100 Curlew, 50 Oystercatchers, 7 Redshanks and 2 Ringed Plovers; around the margins - Green and Common Sandpipers, Greenshank and Snipe; and overhead 5 Whimbrels. On south lake 4 Shelducks, Wigeon and Red-crested Pochard, Sandwich and Common Terns over, plus 2 Marsh Harriers and a Common Buzzard behind the `mirrors`. Bird of the morning however was a Great White Egret in the far reedbed, presumably one of the birds from the bird reserve.

                                Dabchicks, Lade

                                Redshanks, Lade

A decent night in the moth trap too with Jersey Tiger new for the year, plus first Angle Shades and Poplar Hawk-moth for a while.
Galloways - Called in by the S bend this afternoon where I had brief views of the Wryneck (202) feeding on the deck then flying up into an elderberry bush. Also noted a scattering of Wheatears, Whinchats and Stonechats.

                                        Angle Shades, Lade

                                Poplar Hawk-moth, Lade

                                  Jersey Tiger, Lade

NB: Elsewhere today a Honey Buzzard flew over Littlestone while several Curlew Sandpipers were on ARC (MH).