A flurry of migrants

Lade - 1000hrs - warm, dry and sunny, e 2 - After the excitement of yesterday it was back to more mundane fare on the local patch. The only migrants were a singing Chiffchaff and Blackcap in the willow swamp, plus a lone Swallow heading north. A party of 55 Curlews flew in from the bay to roost and a pair of Med Gulls circled noisily over south lake. Otherwise it was pretty quiet with duck numbers down to the bare bones and only Tufted Duck into double figures. A pair each of Teal and Shoveler skulked around the willow margins, so hopefully they`ll stay to breed.
RSPB - 1400hrs  - Nothing much from the causeway road apart from 8 Little Egrets feeding in the shallows on ARC and a couple of Swallows over New Diggings. From Dennis`s hide I had my first Common Whitethroat of the year with another in the kiddies mini-beast scrub. From Boulderwall the usual Tree Sparrows while around the ARC car park singing Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff noted, plus Sedge Warbler in the paddock brambles. We then wandered up to the pines picking up more Sedge and Reed Warblers along the way, Cetti`s and Willow Warbler, Green Woodpecker and a pair of Red-legged Partridges, one of which briefly tried to perch atop a willow! Nothing much at the pines apart from Long-tailed Tit and Linnets so we decided to walk down the railway line and cut in towards the Airport pits, which eventually paid dividends with a pair of Ring Ouzels out on the shingle ridges. A Wheatear bounded by and a hare ran across towards Lade.
On the walk back whilst scanning from Screen hide a Bittern`boomed` several times from the Tower pits reedbed and we finished off in grand style with a flyover Cuckoo, another spring first; if only I was keeping a year list...
Lade - Another search for Rouzels this aft drew a blank, but first Sedge Warblers and Common Whitethroats were noted in Mockmill sewer.
NB: Elsewhere several more RingOuzels and Common Redstarts were reported from across the peninsula today from the Trapping area to Galloways and the Long-tailed Duck was back at Scotney on the eastern pit nearest the farm access road.