I see no Bee-eaters!!!

 When I woke this morning I pulled back the curtain, just as superb adult male Marsh Harrier flew by not 20yds away, a great start to the day.
 With little moving on the sea this morning I wandered down to The Patch seeing the 2 resident Peregrines on the way. On the beach the leucistic/worn Herring Gull that is masquerading as an Iceland Gull and a regular colour ringed Herring Gull A3BJ was about all there was of note.

 The south end of the ARC held 3 Redshank and 2 Little Egrets.

 I spent an hour at Dennis's Hide where c50 Swifts were doing there best to give me photo opportunities. Several Swallows were with them and 20+ Common terns were over the lake.

 Next stop was Springfield Bridge. Plodding down to Hayfield 3, 2 Ravens flew over, 4 Hobby's were over Dengemarsh along with 2 Marsh Harriers. A tweet from BP about a Bee-eater over the Tower Pits had me scanning the horizons hopefully. I arrived at the Hay Field 3 to be told by another birder that a Bee-eater had just flown over Dengemarsh while I was watching the Hobby's! At the Hayfield a drake Garganey could be seen distantly and a Bearded Tit posed.

 Lunch time from Plodland 3 Marsh Harriers, 3 Common Buzzards, 2 Hobby's, 2+ Little Egrets, 3 Grey Herons and a Cuckoo which alighted briefly on the hedge opposite. Also I received a text from BM about 2 more Bee-eaters over the allotments.

A stupidly tame Red-legged Partridge at Jurys Gap

 This afternoon as the red flags came down early I went to The Midrips with no real expectations which was just as well. What looks like superb habitat held just 4 Avocets, 11 Redshanks, 4 Dunlin, 8 Ringed Plovers, a fly through Curlew and Grey Plover, 2 Gadwall and c30 Shelduck also at least 5 male Wheatears. When I was just about as far from the car as I could possibly be I got a call from The joker about a party of 4 Bee-eaters in a private garden on the marsh, I hadn't got far before he called back to say they had just flown off high NE. So I am now a member of a very exclusive club of people who have NOT seen a Bee-eater on the marsh in the past week.
Back at Jury's Gap a stupidly tame Red-legged Partridge let me get to within 1mt to snap him with my mobile phone.
A cycle ride around the marsh this evening found the overhead wires Bee-eater free zones.