Knot

 Warm, dry and cloudy, WNW 3 - Started off first thing this morning with a circuit of Lade pits where the islands on south lake were packed out with Cormorants, feral geese and ten each of Grey Heron and Little Egret. All the usual ducks and grebes on the lakes and a couple of Whinchats at the south end was about it. Kerton Road pit on the approaching high tide was full of hundreds of Oystercatchers, gulls and Canada Geese while two more Whinchats were in the triangle scrub. Moving onto ARC, where there appeared to have been something of a clear out of waders, with only a handful of Lapwings and Black-tailed Godwits present, plus two Little Ringed Plovers, singles of Ruff, Wood and Common Sandpiper and a scattering of Pintail, Wigeon and two Garganeys amongst the wildfowl; two distant Black Terns were at the southern end. There was nothing noteworthy on Burrowes apart from hundreds of Sand Martins on the move and a flock of waders in front of Firth that comprised 20 Knots, 10 Dunlins, four Curlew Sandpipers, four Redshanks, three Bar-wits and a Little Stint; infact, the best collection of waders I`ve seen here all autumn so far. Also noted in the scrub below the lookout: Willow, Cetti`s and Sedge Warblers, Blackcap and Lesser Whitethroat, plus at least ten Whinchats around the Return Trail by the access road, making it a decent morning for this handsome chat.

                                 Mixed flock of waders, Firth Lookout

From Springfield Bridge all the expected egrets and ibis were on show out on Dengemarsh along with a Wood Sandpiper, a Ruff and several Black-tailed Godwits, while yesterdays Temminck`s Stint put in an appearanace during the afternoon. A Sparrowhawk nipped over the lake and the roadside fields were full of Yellow Wagtails, Meadow Pipits and two Whinchats. Many more Whinchats and a few Redstarts were also reported today across the peninsula.