Perfect timing

I was cautious about opening the nets first thing as the forecast suggested that it was going rain pretty much all day but in the end it couldn't have worked out better with the rain holding off until mid-morning allowing a full standardized netting session to be carried out - after that, it did rain all day!   In the end though it proved to be a quiet session with the exception of a stunning adult male Black Redstart which appeared at dawn by the front door and found its way into a net shortly afterwards.

Black Redstart

 

There were plenty of other birds to see during the first few hours of the morning including two female Stonechats following the cliff-top fenceline, c80 Redwings in the surrounding fields, a Firecrest and a female Sparrowhawk causing trouble; overhead there were a few Finches including 17 Common Crossbills, 5 Bramblings and 8 Goldfinches, two White Wagtails, 120 Golden Plover and 140+ Woodpigeons with a few Stock Doves thrown in.

Wren

 

An adult Kittiwake rested on the water just offshore in the morning - an unusual spring record where single Black-throated Diver and Scaup also passed by.   The afternoon was pretty wet but 4 Garganey passed the tip with a group of Teal and there were two Firecrests and a Chiffchaff with a Tit flock just up the coast near Birkemosse.

 

Hans visited in the afternoon bringing a welcome influx of new coffee and allowed me to show off my newly learnt Danish bird names - Sangdrossel, Bogfinke and Jernspurv were only a few of the species which tripped off my tongue!