Another fairly quiet morning: En-route to hides: woodpigeons, herring gulls, crows,, starlings, pheasants, wrens, blackcap, avocet, blue tits, crows, mallards, swallows, goldfinches, blackbirds, whitethroat, chiffchaff, magpies, reed warbler, swan and water vole crossing the reen just before hide 2. Hide 2: linnets, 91 black tailed godwits, 4 dunlin, 4 lapwing, lesser and 1 greater black backed gulls, 4 avocet, Canada geese, 4 redshanks, 2 oystercatchers, 2 ringed plovers, heron, 4 shelduck and 3 skylarks. Snipe platform: juvenile stonechat, pair of little grebes with 1 chick and 1 shoveler. Seawall: green woodpecker calling from the farm area, 1 curlew only, 74 distant dunlin. Hide 3: coot, 4 more shoveler, 131 more black tailed godwits, greylag geese, pair tufted ducks and a lone male, pochard pair, 9 gadwall, 1 little ringed plover, more lapwing, 4 ravens, sedge warbler singing from the brambles, reed buntings, female pintail with 4 chicks in-tow, meadow pipits and 1 little egret. A pair of shoveler had an astonishing 17 chicks. Back at hide 2 the high tide had brought in more waders with 222 dunlin, 74 ringed plovers, pair of knot and 2 sanderling (1 a juvenile) all feeding together. Female marsh harrier, pied wagtails and buzzard also seen.
