VERY EARLY VISIT TO MY LOCAL PATCH.

Got to Marsh Lane this morning smack on 7.00 AM to take advantage of the early sunshine and of course to take some decent shots.

Ben the ringer was in the car park ringing some birds.Annoyingly he had just released a Lesser Whitethroat but his assistant had a Goldcrest in her hand and I grabbed a shot before it was released.  

There were 3 Common Sandpipers and a LRP on the CP pool islands.Two of the Sandpipers very kindly flew across and landed near the hide.

Also on the CP pool islands was a second Summer Med Gull.

Since my last visit a couple of days ago there seemed to be an arrival of several Sedge Warblers as they seemed to be everywhere.Mind you this didn't mean I could get a decent shot of one.

Along the path back from the river hide I spotted a couple of Swifts zooming round the RW pool.Managed to get my first shots of the year.

When I called back to the CP hide before I left the Black Tailed Godwit was very close to the hide and I couldn't resist getting some more shots.What a cracking bird.

LOCAL PATCH AGAIN

Went again early this morning over to Marsh Lane got there just before 8.00 AM to find it sunny and very pleasant.Well it was pleasant until you got into a hide and the wind now coming from the west was very cold indeed.

The first Summer Med Gull was back on the RW pool but yesterday's Garganey was not to be found.

Almost got a very good shot of a Sedge Warbler from the causeway hide but just missed out.

The Black Tailed Godwit was still viewable from the CP hide but was much more elusive often flying off.Found it first on one of the islands and later on on the grass this time to the left of the hide.

Managed to get a couple of flight shots as it flew over a nesting Coot.

LOCAL PATCH VISIT AGAIN.

Again this morning I went over to Marsh Lane getting there at 8.00 AM and finding the sun shining and the wind not so strong.

From the CP hide I was very pleased to find the Black Tailed Godwit was still here feeding well just to the right of the hide.

On the way to the oak hide I was able to get my best shots of the year so far of a Sedge Warbler.

From the Oak hide I could only find one Med. Gull and that was the adult which was as usual well hidden behind one of the islands.Luckily a bit later on it came out into the open for a while before flying back to it's hidey hole.

Eagle eyed Glen Giles from the oak hide spotted the drake Garganey way back in the reeds on the far side of the RW pool.It was not found at all yesterday.It was so far away I thought it might be just over the border into Worcestershire.Even after a long wait it did not come any closer so all I got were a few crappographs.

ANOTHER EARLY VISIT TO THE LOCAL PATCH.

Went over to Marsh Lane again early this morning and having been in the CP hide on Sunday morning when it was the coldest place in the British Isles I had learned my lesson and got out my winter gear.I couldn't put on my thermals because they had gone back into the family bank vault and that was on a time lock.

Went straight to the Oak hide to see if yesterday's drake Garganey was still there.It wasn't. Damn ! ! I soon located all 4 of the Med Gulls still on the islands but only the first summer one came into range.The others were either very distant or hidden at the back of the islands.

Did get a shot of one of the several Common Terns on the RW pool.

Managed some flight shots of the first summer Med Gull.

When I went back to the CP hide to get some shots of the Black-tailed Godwit I couldn't find it again.

MED GULL FEST AT MARSH LANE.

For the third morning running I set out very early this time heading to Marsh Lane to see if the 4 Med Gulls were still there.Also for the third morning it was bitterly cold nothing like what it should be like this late in April.

From the CP hide I got my first flight shot of the year of a Common Tern and then straight after a Common Sandpiper dropped in pretty close to the hide.

Luckily for me John Oates was making a now rare visit and together we headed to the Oak hide to see if the Med Gulls were still here.With John's help we soon found 1 Adult, 2 Second Summer and 1 First Summer birds.

Some shots of the First Summer bird.

Some shots of the Second Summer birds.

Some flight shots of the Second Summer birds.

I would have loved to get decent shots of all three birds but the adult remained low down at the back of the left hand island.It seemed to coupled up with one of the 2nd Summer birds.Here is a long range shot of the pair taken from the RW hide.

Now frozen to the bone I headed back to the CP hide where I found the Black-tailed Godwit on the grass area to the right of the hide.It was too far off for a decent shot but just as I was being driven out of the hide by the freezing wind whistling in through the right hand flap the Godwit started to creep a bit closer.This kept me in the hide longer than I would have liked but I did get some decent shots.