randombirder

The rain of recent days has drawn in a deluge of migrants up and down the country with coastal areas faring well with some impressive numbers of passerines and passing seabirds.  But for us city folk, there's stuff to find too and with a bit of luck, something like a Garganey could just turn up on a local patch somewhere.  In fact, The Waterworks struck Garganey gold today with this skittish individual that appeared across my eyeline as I was watching the Teal.  Camera in hand, I snapped a couple of shots before it disappeared into the reeds at the back of Bed 13.  One of those moments when I began to question what I had just seen but thankfully the couple of shots confirmed that I hadn't gone completely mad.  A bit lucky but that's fine by me. ( Postscript - The Garganey was first seen and photographed on the 20th August by @suzehu so maybe not so fortuitous after all.  Also cursing my luck on hearing a probable calling Redstart by the paddocks and...

It's been a tough few days.  Remaining positive has been a challenge and being stuck at home was driving me a bit mad.  So we booked late and headed down to Eastbourne for a some sea-air therapy and a change of scenery. Well the change was good but unfortunately made no difference to my condition.  We did manage to get out and about, albeit at a very slow pace - there are some lovely areas along this stretch of coastline. Splash Point had a few remaining Kittiwake , with a few tri-coloured juveniles still favouring the cliffside.  A couple of Fulmar glided past, and a number of Gannet were feeding off-shore.  No rare seabirds but a nice spot to sit and relax. The highlight was a half hour walk from the Cuckmere Inn along the valley path.  Just wish I had more energy because there were passerines here. Most noteworthy were at least nine Whinchat perched along a line of scrub adjacent to a fenceline.  A juvenile Northern Wheatear was here too ...

The highlight of a lone adult Swallow flying low south over the Marshes was symptomatic of the lack of migrants this morning.  The overnight rain did nothing to down excitable numbers of passerines with four Willow Warbler seen on the northside (three singers), and two Lesser Whitethroat along the concrete fenceline between the paddocks and the path. There were a handful of common warblers in the scrub and hirundines over but nothing more to raise the pulse.

Much like yesterday but a much cooler feel in the air with a brisk south-westerly.  The three Common Scoter remained on Lockwood, as for the drake with that bright yellow bill, they do look dapper. Elsewhere there was a minimum of six Common Sandpiper , a Willow Warbler flew through the treeline on the eastern side, a Kingfisher  shot off low over Low Maynard, and two Swift were seen flying low over the Banbury. The relief channel looks great for a wader or two at the top of Lockwood but drew a blank today.

Having been flat-bound for the last few days, it took a local rare to provide the nitro that I needed to get out in the beautiful sunshine.  It's hard work these days. Twitter provided the info, @porthkillier the finder, and @randombirder cashing in on other people's hard work. Straight onto Lockwood, and the three Common Scoter (one drake, two fem/imm), were located in with the large raft of Tufted Duck before swimming closer to the eastern edge.  This represented one of my targets for London so was pleased to see this on the patch. Also on site was a juvenile Northern Wheatear , three Common Sandpiper , two Swallow flew south, and a Kingfisher on Low Maynard. A quick visit to the Waterworks and half a dozen Swift were still around the pitch and putt.

Arriving mid-afternoon on Lockwood as the first phase of storms had past, there was much optimism in connecting with something displaced as a result of the lively weather. Limited rewards were a single  Lapwing  that had settled on the shoreline before taking off high before heading south.  Three Common Sandpiper were down in number from previous days, and my first Green Sandpiper  of the autumn was seen feeding along the relief channel at the north-end of Lockwood.  There were also two Shoveler on the northside, and a juvenile Greater Black Backed Gull flew in.

It was my intention to head down to the ressies at some point this afternoon after visits to the hospital and doctor in the morning.  This was hastened by the news of a Black Tern on Lockwood, which was picked up on High Maynard at just after 2pm.  Settling down on the bank just past the weir, the Tern was exceedingly flighty, making rapid sorties back and forth with frequent feeding activity with it's diagnostic arced flight pattern as it darted towards the water.  An extremely elegant flyer.  A first for the patch and a first for London so this was well overdue. Half a dozen Common Sandpiper remained, and a Kingfisher was seen on Lower Maynard. A single Common Sandpiper was present on East Warwick. Also present was an increase of 14 Shoveler , and a calling Goldcrest from the scrub on the westside.

A late morning amble onto the reservoirs and I immediately bumped into Jamie Partridge who coerced me into joining him for a lethargic jaunt around Lockwood. The morning was warm and still, humidity still high which made for a particularly pleasant day to be out and about.  Lockwood itself was like a millpond with a few Gulls loafing about on the water and half a dozen Common Tern screeching overhead.  A minimum of five Common Sandpiper were flushed from the eastern foreshore and another was later seen on High Maynard.  A bright Willow Warbler sang from within the treeline. Satisfied with our minimal exertions, we decided against walking all the way round the ressie and traipsed slowly back toward the car park.  Three birds appeared from the west, and they had a promising look about them so immediately pinned my eyes skyward to confirm three Black-Tailed Godwit flying firstly west, before turning south and off into the distance.  They did appear to turn ...