Waders.
A stroll round Rainton yestday evening produced a circling Green Sandpiper closely followed by a Jack Snipe, both giving a couple of fly-bys, the Avocet remains and a few Little rings are mobile round the sites, with 200 black bellied Golden Plover circling before moving on north. A tiny number of Common Snipe are trickling through, Redshanks maintain a breeding population for now... Curlew and Oystercatcher are yet to settle, though several Lapwings have been on eggs for over a week.
A summer plumage Dunlin dropped in over-night, hopefully we'll have another good year and be due a good few more passage waders
Winter and Summer mix
Winter thrushes are hanging on, with a few Redwings yesterday including a singing single, Fieldfares will be here a week or two longer, though i heard some moving off north overhead tonight.
Swallows still seem in short supply, just the odd 1 or 2, Sand Martins too still in small numbers, although joined by a single House Martin today right on cue.
Tiff-taffs are everywhere and Blackcaps in good numbers - thesy seem to have leap-frogged Willow Warblers in the arrival stakes over the last couple of years. Willow Warblers have been late this year, but yestdays 3, increased to 10 overnight.
A small number of Siskin, Redpoll and Short-eared remain, and we watched interaction between 2 Long-eareds after dusk which saw one gain height and move off miles to the north untill out of sight, but this one, sadly found today near last years nest, wasnt going anywhere :-
