A walk with PR's RSPB group didnt quite work out because I arrived early and wanted to get round before lunch. Met up but the size of the group (25 ish) was always going to be too slow so I headed off.
A number of Greenshanks were calling out in the harbour with lots of godwits and Redshanks. It didn't take too long to find two Little Stints, six or more Curlew Sandpipers, twenty or so eclipse plumage Pintails and a few Snipe.
A Kingfisher zipped past.
On the dry northern shore of the lake were plenty of Yellow and Pied Wagtails and the fenceline held three Whinchats and a Wheatear.
Seven Harbour Seals were hauled out in the usual part of the harbour.
The only raptors were three Kestrels and a Sparrowhawk.
Sadly, no Osprey, no Marsh Harrier and not even a Buzzard today!
Around the marsh plenty of noisy but mostly hidden Yellow Wagtails, another Wheatear and a single Common Whitethroat.
The east seawall had lots of Common Blues, more than I've seen this year, and, over the whole walk, many Clouded Yellows (25-30 and probably more). Single Small Copper, a few whites and a couple of Small Heath were the only other butterflies.
Common Darter and a few Migrant Hawkers.
Back at the lake gave better scope views of one of the Little Stints.
A colour flagged Curlew (Yellow 5E over red left tibia and blue right tibia, BTO metal right leg) is proving hard to pin down in CR birding.
PS A group of Grey Plovers, about seventy strong, appeared out of nowhere and landed out towards the Kendall quay, some still strongly coloured.
