Yesterday, a brief non-birding visit to TH for BiL's birthday (coffee and cake) in poor weather did at least provide a small birding 'window' with a brief excursion to KBH where the long grass concealed a Cattle Egret and 25 each of M'ipits and Yellow Wags all flushed by a juvenile Sparrowhawk.
Today, despite accurate directions for the Riverside Park Grey Phalarope, I decided on a visit to Blashford first. At jct5 a Kestrel was playing Russian Roulette with vehicles by hovering very low over the very narrow divider strip on the bend.
On arrival, the Ibsley phalarope was surprisingly still present and, whilst distant, was at least well lit on a mill-pond like surface. More distantly both young Little Gulls were very active but the Black Tern had departed. Bob's early count of 3000 House Martins was prior to them dispersing although the skies were full of dots on the distance. Only this heron was within camera range and a fly-by Green Woodpecker was too quick for all of us with cameras.
Brief chat with J6×4 but no birds of note on the south side.
Returned to Tern Hide where now one or two distant Hobbies and Sparrowhawks were causing the House Martins to rise up and flock, and caught up with KK for the first time this year.
Bob's earlier Wood Sand was a no-show with just Green, Common and Dunlin on the far shores and the 'new' Great White in the far corner.
No reports from Riverside during the day but late evening a FB message confirmed it was still there along with two more at Pennington in company of a Temminck's Stint. Must be time for TH to get a decent wader.
