Popped over the George for a couple of hours at 6am today with Jim and we had quite the visit.
Three Arctic Terns flew north at around 6.30am whilst seven Commons lingered for a bit on south basin before also heading off. Two Whimbrel were roosting on the east bank as we approached the causeway and an Oystercatcher flew south calling. As we neared the NE corner we stopped to scan some Common Sandpipers and counted sixteen in one group which when added to the one on south and two further round the north basin we knew we had at least nineteen although there were probably more as small groups of three and fours would fly from the bank as we walked the rest of the reservoir. With the Sandpipers we found two Greenshank and later a Redshank joined them too.
A couple of Cuckoo, a Peregrine and both Yellow and Grey Wagtails added to the mornings birding before we spotted what I believe is my 24th Wheatear of the year. We didn't see any Raven today and not even a sign of the nest or anything which was odd. A Thames water employee stopped to ask us to ID a bird he'd seen on the Girling, the bird was a drake Hooded Merganser which the reservoir has history of attracting from a nearby collection.
The Arctic Terns were a year tick having missed a few reported birds at Rainham and failing until today to make any Comics into Arctics.
Year list now 197
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| My 24th Wheatear of the year |
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| Grey Wagtail |
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| Grey Wagtail |
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| Grey Wagtail |
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| Grey Wagtail |
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| Common Sandpiper and Greenshank |
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| Greenshank and Common Sandpiper |
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| Greenshanks and Common Sands |
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| Greenshank and Common Sandpipers |
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| Whimbrel |
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| Cormorant |
Twitched a Hoopoe tonight 30minutes from home at Hunsdon in Hertfordshire. Distant scope views in a large private garden where the owner wasn't open to visitors going onto the lawn which bordered the public footpath. Year list now 198
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