April 9th

The sun was shining again this morning as I walked along the seawall from Reculver to the Wantsum outflow. I saw 2 Blackcaps, 9 Cetti's Warblers, 1 Chiffchaff, 37 Linnets, 1 Swallow W, 4 Goldfinches, 3 Skylarks, 4 Chaffinches, 6 Meadow Pipits, 4 Redshank, 18 Oystercatchers, 1 Stonechat, 9 Great Crested Grebes, 8 Sedge Warblers, 23 Mute Swans, 4 Ringed Plovers, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 4 Shelduck, 4 Mediterranean Gulls, 3 Pied Wagtails, 6 Turnstone, 1 Wheatear, 3 Curlew E, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Whitethroat and 1 Red-legged Partridge.

Male Wheatear

This morning Julian Perry found a Cuckoo (143rd) on the embankment between Chamber's Wall and Plumpudding. This is the earliest record of a Cuckoo in the recording area beating the previous early record on 10th April 1993 by one day.

During the afternoon Matt and Marion walked from Chamber's Wall to Coldharbour and saw 5 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Whitethroats, 1 Red Kite W, 2 Snipe, 1 summer plumaged Water Pipit in flooded field at Coldharbour (144th), 1 Swallow, 2 Mediterranean Gulls, 4 Great Crested Grebes and 2 Teal.