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The Safari was out very early this morning but once again failed to drag Frank more than a few paces up the hill. A Blackcap and a Willow Warbler were heard singing from nearby gardens though...a little taster of things to come or what we might have missed in the park.

Once Wifey had left for London we got our revenge on Frank and took him to the top end of Chat Alley for a walk (snigger snigger) back down the coast ‘against’ the migration.

It proved fairly fruitful as we soon noticed a Wheatear and then another and another and so on. They were everywhere but very flighty, getting near them for a pic was proving very difficult. Joggers, cyclists, dog walkers and ourselves (despite our best efforts) kept then constantly flitting from wall to wall or up in to the remnant ‘cliff’ face grassland.

Taking a rest one on of the benches - "the sea's the other way mate"

Bright!

Wish the nearest one was facing us - a real stonker!

We came a cross a bank with a bit of land slip showing some exposed soil and had 14 feeding together but still couldn’t get the shot off as they disturbed and flew further down. We decided to wait to give Frank a bit of a rest but after 10 minutes or so they still hadn’t returned.

Meanwhile there was plenty still happening. Out at sea it was glassy calm but visibility was restricted by a bit of a grey-out. Two single Whimbrels flew past while overhead we had a couple of Linnets and a Redpoll between the dribs and drabs of over 100 Swallows, which included just two House Martins. About five Meadow Pipits were also heard.

We were hoping for a Whinchat amongst the Wheatears but no such luck for the Safari although two Common Sandpipers working their way along the seaward side of the wall was a nice bonus.
Tried a few BiF shots but it was a bit to grey and grisly....nice moult pic though

Same gull different angle of light = different shade of grey

Tired Frank

Leaving to drop Frank off at his office we had a flock of about 10 Goldfinches bouncing along the top of the cliff which could well have been migrants.

We left him to get on with whatever he does at work, snoring, typing, wagging, filing, barking at the postman etc, while we aimed for our desk. As soon as we got out of the Land Rover we heard a Willow Warbler, excellent a work’s garden lifer and Patch 2 tick no 72. Another was flitting along the hedge at the front of the building....great stuff!

Grabbing the scope we shot over the road to the wall but might have been better grabbing the bins and walking round the garden. We had a lovely flock of 10 Arctic Terns elegantly dipping for insects(?) only a few yards offshore, five Eiders sat together close by to the north while in the distance to the south two Shelducks somewhat unusually sat on the water. A Swift and a Swallow came in-off from a long way out about a minute or so apart.

Once the puter had fired up we read an email from SD saying that he’d given up seawatching due to poor visibility and gone round the gardens and had at least five Willow Warblers and a reeling Grasshopper Warbler! Then gone on to another nearby site and had more Willow Warblers along with a singing Wood Warbler!!! It seems the floodgates have opened at last.

Mid morning we had a chat with the gardener while waiting for the kettle to boil and the Gropper (P2 73) was reeling away from the depths of the thick hedge by the car park.

By lunchtime all the warblers and Wheatears seemed to have frittered themselves away and out on the sea there was nothing apart from a handful of Sandwich Terns.
Where to next? What might happen tomorrow morning?
In the meantime let us know what dropped en masse in your outback