The lane is now passable in wellies (or bare feet Keith) so went for a walk between 4.30 and 7.00 pm. Impressive numbers of swallows, sand martins and house martins. Hundreds hawking low over the fields with swifts above. Counted 201 whimbrel with 14 black-tailed godwits (2 in full summer plumage), 16 bar-tailed godwits (4 in sp), 16 grey plover (2 in full sp - very smart), 5 curlew, 1 common sandpiper and 12 dunlin.
One shoveller was the first I have seen for weeks. A bar-headed goose was also unexpected. Hundreds of gulls in the northern part of the marsh. Some made their way into the main marsh and could be viewed from the canal-side car park and amongst the flocks were one Iceland gull and one Med gull (first summer).
Also seen 2 bullfinches, one lesser whitethroat, at least 6 whitethroats, a sedge warbler nest building and two yellow wagtails and lastly two short-eared owls.
