May 17th
On an overcast morning we walked round the Shuart area and on to the sea at Plumpudding where the tide was a long way out. We recorded 2 Mallard, 3 Tufted Duck, 4 Cormorants, 1 Grey Heron 2 Common Buzzards, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Kestrel, 1 Red-legged Partridge, 2 Oystercatchers, 2 Turtle Doves, 2 Ring-necked Parakeets, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Barn Owl, 3 Cuckoos, including a hepatic female, 8 Swifts W, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Long-tailed Tits, 1 Jay, 1 Wheatear, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 17 Reed Warblers, 12 Whitethroats, 5 Blackcaps, 1 Chiffchaff and 3 Linnets. There was also a Nightingale singing at the Wagtail bridge on our way home.
A Red Kite alarmed the local Herring Gulls as it flew over our garden at Bishopstone at 1050.