Purple Sandpiper

Lade - mild, dry and sunny, E 3 - The day dawned bright and sunny with a fresh easterly airflow encouraging most of yesterdays thrushes and Goldcrests to move inland. A party of five Goldeneyes were new in on south lake and included the first drake of the season. Two Great White Egrets loitered in the shelter of the willow swamp and a Sparrowhawk nipped over, otherwise it was just the usual birds about the site.

                                Purple Sandpiper

Hythe - Spent several hours around midday walking the sea front in glorious sunshine and back along the RMC. A check of the sea defence blocks resulted in just a single Purple Sandpiper at the Stade Street site and ten Turnstones throughout, however there was no chance of a pic as the light was awful and the blocks were full of clambering kids, so the pic above is from the archives. An hour spent gazing out to sea yielded 30 Gannets fishing in the bay, plus two passing Brents, a Bonxie and a Med Gull.
  The canal walk was largely quiet with just a few thrushes, Goldcrests and a Grey Wagtail of note.