Weekend Update

I got up nice and early on Saturday, spurred on by tweets from Bill and Andy at Berry Head who had stumbled upon a Nightingale and a Lesser Whitethroat - fall?

Well no, not here anyway.  Phil did Beer Head and Bun the Beer Cemetery Fields, and both reported slim pickings.  I checked most the sites around the valley and didn't see much, although did manage one year tick with a (not so) Common Whitethroat.  Before I saw this though I had two Lesser Whitethroats, with singing males at Black Hole Marsh and Axmouth.  So this year I had four Lesser Whitethroats before getting my first Common! Also noticed more Reed Warblers about, and on Black Hole Marsh four black-bellied Dunlin. 

I tried a sea watch as well, and stood at the Spot On 07:30-08:00.  Conditions weren't at all promising so I wasn't expecting much, good job really (all west):

1 Common Scoter

2 Great Northern Diver (singles, my first of the spring)

11 Manx Shearwater

5 Sandwich Tern

9 Razorbill

To be fair I've endured much worse here! And it was great to see the GND's, I always love seeing these beasts power through in the spring.

Today all I've managed is a quick trip to Black Hole Marsh at dusk, where the Short-eared Owl was showing well. Sue's managed some excellent photos of it which really are worth a look, I said it was a dark one: http://bicyclebirderontheaxe.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/short-eared-owl.html