France

The Melodious Warbler at Guines was a good singer but a real skulker, so here is one I photographed a few weeks ago in the Sahara Desert.

I joined Chris and Richard on a birding day trip to Calais area, we made a slowish start at Guines, where Turtle Dove was purring, Short-toed Treecreeper was seen, Great White Egret, Reed, Sedge and Cetti's warblers but probably to early for Marsh Warbler, I'm guessing the Bluethroats and Grasshopper Warblers were busy nesting. In the forest the usual woodland species were seen along with the Melodious Warbler. Our next stop was the Oye Plage pools and beach. The pools were full of waders, 20+ each of Greenshank, Redshank, Common Sandpipers, Avocets and Black-winged Stilts, only slightly smaller numbers of Little Ringed Plovers, also several Ruff, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Knot, Wood Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpipers, Whimbrel, 2 Temminck's Stints, a minimum of 10 drake Garganey, 8 Black-necked Grebes, Cattle Egrets, c200 each of Sandwich Terns and Little Terns, smaller numbers of Common Terns, at least 10 Kentish Plovers along with all the hirundines and much more.

The tunnel queues and passport control weren't to painful, but I shudder to think what it will be like in the holiday season.

Temminck's Stint with Little Ringed Plovers and Common Sandpiper

Black-winged Stilt

Kentish Plovers

It was depressing to visit Dungeness RSPB today and look out onto the ARC and Burrowes, not a single wader or Tern to be seen. At least the Herring Gulls and Common Gulls are looking rather smart.