A Few Firsts For The Year

If there had been a tide yesterday morning I would probably have had a look on the sea first thing, but there wasn't, so I didn't! You can sea watch at the Obs on a low tide but it entails sitting on some cold, lumpy shingle at the Scar or taking a cushion or fold-up chair with you and I couldn't be bothered with either! Instead under 4 oktas cloud cover with a 15 - 20 mph southwesterly wind I had a walk down to the estuary.

As soon as I got out of the car to set off on my walk I had a Garden Warbler singing, which was my first for the year. I headed down to the estuary through the scrub and was greeted with the song of two Blackcaps, four Chiffchaffs, five Whitethroats, four Sedge Warblers and three Lesser Whitethroats.

Looking across the mudflats from the saltmarsh it was quiet other than a single Whimbrel. Two Swifts flew overhead and these too were my first of the year. Further down the river was a Little Egret with a couple of Grey Herons and amazingly this too was my first Little Egret of the year. I must have been asleep until now!

 Whimbrel

For some reason I have kept on missing Common Sandpipers this spring but I rectified this with a bird feeding along the edge of the reservoir. A Cuckoo called distantly from an area of scrub to the west and this too was my first for the year. Willow Warblers were quiet this morning and I only had two in the scrub adjacent to the saltmarsh.

My walk back was quiet and I didn't add anything to what I had already seen during what was a pleasant morning. The weather is grim as I type this on Tuesday morning with lots of rain about and it looks particularly grim for tomorrow with heavy rain forecast for most of the day. It's going to be towards the end of the week I think before I'm back out on the patch.