Friday 21 March 2014

Here Come The Migrants!

With the first Wheatear and Sand Martin being seen yesterday at Reculver I was keen to try for a quick visit after work tonight for 30 minutes to see if anything was about. I walked down as far as the green wall checking all the rocks for migrants and checking the sky for passing hirundines. Despite the sunny weather there was a very brisk wind which made viewing a challenge at times and the fact the environment agency have been in attendance all week I'm told landscaping the beach due to the erosion, its not been surprising that not many birds have been hanging around on the beach. As I walked down I noted 2 Pied Wagtail, 3 Ringed Plover, 4 Little Egret, 2 Sanderling, 8 Turnstone and c15 Redshank but it wasn't until I returned that I met Andy Hills who had just been watching a male Wheatear where I had not looked too long before. We scanned the rocks and eventually I picked out my first of 2 Wheatear for the year, a female bird. I walked up to the towers to look over and soon saw a male Wheatear, what good looking birds these are. I spent a few minutes just watching them feeding below me and tried for a few shots. We've now hopefully entered that window where migrants will start arriving on the coast and I'm looking forward to an early start in the morning to see if they are still around and maybe some more migrants in the area.

Wheatear

6 comments:

  1. There you go Marc, I go onto my patch 7 days a week and still haven't seen a migrant, you pop out from school and get two Wheatears. No more moans about missing out.

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  2. You know me Derek, like a little moan occasionally!!!

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  3. Well its good to hear about some migrants arriving Marc, gives hope that something will turn up here !

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  4. The time of this year is here, the Sand Martin is here, but I've not seen a Wheater, but there's time. Beautiful shot Marc.

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