Wheatear gleaming in the early morning sunshine at the station

A long walk around the Long Pits, Desert and Bushes saw 100s of Swallows and House Martins on the move, Good numbers of Redpolls, Siskins and Goldfinches over along with smaller numbers of Chaffinches, Skylarks, Reed Buntings and a couple of Brambling. There was still plenty of Chiffchaffs around with a few Blackcaps, but still no eastern sprite for me. I came across 8 Wheatears and at least 20 Stonechats, the 5 Song Thrushes that flushed from a bush were the only ones I saw and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard. 

1 of a party of 11 Chiffchaffs in a Bracken Patch in The Desert this morning

A young Wheatear in The Desert

The Short-eared Owl that was flushed by dog walkers from The Desert this morning

1 of the 2 Glossy Ibis at Boulderwall this afternoon, also 3 Cattle Egrets there.

Sandwich Tern at the fishing boats this afternoon

14.30-16.00 from the fishing boats with AJG who collated the numbers:

Dark-bellied Brent Goose: 3W

Great-crested Grebe: 6 o/s

Gannet: 161W

Cormorant: present n/c

Dunlin: 5W

Turnstone: 3 on beach

Kittiwake: 10W

Black-headed Gull: 28W

Mediterranean Gull: 4W All adults

Common Gull: 5W

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present: n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 18W

Common Tern: 2W

Arctic Skua: 1W

Razorbill: 11W

Auk sp: 3W

Kestrel: 1S

Swallow: 232S

Wheatear: 2 on beach

Adult Mediterranean Gull past the fishing boats

2 Common Terns past this afternoon

Late this afternoon I found these 2 Pink-footed Geese at the double bends Scotney. Before I could get a close look at them a peloton of noisy cyclists came along and flushed all the geese.