Cormorants & Fish

Lade - 0700hrs - mild and misty, brighter later - Another mild morning but looking at the forecast it looks set for a change with strong north-westerlies by tomorrow night making the place to be on Thursday morning - Cap Griz-nez.
However, not much happening on the local patch apart from 100 hirundines feeding on insects and settling on overhead lines. Viz mig comprised a few Mipits, more hirundines and single figures of Reed Bunting, Goldfinch, Siskin, Skylark and 2 Grey Wagtails. One or two Chiffchaffs around the willow swamp, plus singing Cetti`s Warbler and a Green Sandpiper was about it apart from the regular wildfowl on south lake.
In the moth trap another Streak and Large Wainscot.
Birdwatching Break - Dave and June down for a three day stay at Plovers. We started proceedings with a butterfly twitch at the Obs where we dipped a Long-tailed Blue, seen and photographed by DW in the moat earlier. By the concrete road a small flock of gulls contained an adult Yellow-legged Gull. Driving across the desert towards ARC at least 6 Kestrels noted.

                                Cormorants squabbling over a huge Pike Burrowes

                                              Great White Egret, Burrowes

RSPB ARC - From the causeway road we had distant views of a Peregrine terrorising the waders. By the time we got round to Hanson hide things had settled down a bit. Amongst the hundreds of Goldies and Lapwings present were 5 Snipe, 4 Grey Plover, 5 Dunlin, 2 Greenshank and a Knot, plus Water Rail, Chiffchaff and Cetti`s Warbler vocalising around the hide. Several Marsh Harriers were active across the site plus 3 Sparrowhawks, one of which settled on an island scattering the waders. A single Garganey was noted amongst the Wigeons, Teal and Shovelers.
Burrowes - Over 300 Cormorants on the pit were working the fish shoals again causing great excitement amongst the 6 Great White and 10 Little Egrets and 10 Grey Herons hunting the margins. At one stage they`d corralled a huge Pike that was so big that none of them could swallow it! Waders included 4 Dunlin, 3 Blackwits, 2 Ruff and a Grey Plover from Firth hide, while 20 Pintail, 3 Black-necked Grebes and 3 Dabchicks noted from Makepeace. More Marsh Harrier were hunting over the Oppen Pits and from the access road the Black-back Gull flock included a couple of hundred Goldies and Lapwings.
A decent start with 65 species noted.