Yesterday (17th) produced my first decent flock of wagtails of the spring; at least 20 Yellows (all males), as well as my first Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers etc of the spring down there. Highlight was provided by a partial summer-plumage Black-tailed Godwit on the new, northern pit. Blackwits are a surprisingly rare bird here (I've seen many more Barwits), so was understandably chuffed - poor views in the fading light suggested it was probably a 2cy bird, but it wasn't there today so I'll never know for sure. The new pit it was on looks like it might be alright this spring (shame I'm not here to do it daily), and I've given it a new name - hopefully something worthwhile to report from it soon so that it gets on the news services.
Today promised a bit more; southeast winds and clear but becoming overcast by early afternoon. To me, it seemed like a good afternoon for the first Black Terns to arrive (which they did at a few sites across England), but none at BLGP. New-in migrants included a White Wagtail and a Common Sandpiper (both firsts for the year), whilst a Red Kite drifted over. A late adult Common Gull was on the new diggings opposite Reedbed Pit, and a drake Shoveler was at Grummit's Scrape. All the usuals were present, with LRPs now up to 5 in number. Highlight for me though was a small flock of 13 Golden Plover in splendid plumage on the south side of the complex, showing nicely for some photos:
No Dotterel tagging along, but these birds really are mint at this time of year. Got back this evening to hear that my partner in crime Staines had done further damage with a drake Blue-winged Teal in North Yorkshire this evening - he's finding some good birds this year. Gripped!
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