July 31st
Today dawned still breezy after yesterday's gales and with the odd passing shower. We walked from Reculver to Coldharbour and counted 100 Sand Martins, 8 Little Egrets, 17 Redshank, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 18 Swifts W, 2 Grey Herons, 11 Cormorants, 10 Common Sandpipers, 13 Ringed Plovers, 2 Green Sandpipers, 250 Linnets, 3 Whimbrel, 11 Mediterranean Gulls, 22 Common Terns W, 4 Yellow Wagtails, 5 Dunlin, 10 Turnstone, 3 Oystercatchers, 1 Wood Sandpiper (166th) and 20 Meadow Pipits.

Mediterranean Gulls

Marc Heath was out between 0530 and 1000 and saw similar numbers to us as he walked from Reculver to Chamber's Wall. His totals included 3 Sandwich Terns, 19 Swifts W, 20 Sand Martins, 1 Kestrel, 10 Stock Doves, 4 Oystercatchers, 1 Little Owl, 1 Kingfisher, 14 Common Sandpipers, 10 Mediterranean Gulls, 7 Dunlin, 20 Ringed Plovers, 7 Redshank, 4 Whimbrel, 7 Reed Warblers, 1 Wheatear, 5 Yellow Wagtails, 9 Little Egrets, 3 Grey Herons, 1 Green Sandpiper, 4 Turnstone, 2 Wood Sandpipers,1 Sedge Warbler, 2 Skylarks, 3 Marsh Harriers, 2 Greylag Geese, 2 Whitethroats, 7 Mute Swans, 1 Blackcap, 25 Common Terns W, 1 Gannet and 1 Great Crested Grebe.
During the day Chris Tedder visited Shuart where she found and photographed a new species of dragonfly for the area - a male Southern Migrant Hawker. She also photographed a Southern Hawker.

Male Southern Migrant Hawker - Chris Tedder

Southern Hawker - Chris Tedder

July 30th
On an increasingly windy morning we arrived at Reculver early in an attempt to avoid the threatened gale force winds later this morning. We walked up to Coldharbour and back and saw 54 Linnets, 1 Green Woodpecker, 24 Common Terns W, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 16 Sand Martins, 1 Kestrel, 7 Little Egrets, 2 Sandwich Terns, 9 Oystercatchers, 6 Turnstone, 1 Redshank, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 11 Swallows W, 2 Coot, 2 Whimbrel W, 2 Pied Wagtails, 5 Sanderling and 1 Ringed Plover.

Adult Sandwich Tern

July 29th
Back at Reculver this morning we walked from Chamber's Wall to Coldharbour and saw 4 Little Egrets, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Grey Partridge, 1 Kestrel, 1 Whitethroat, 1 male Marsh Harrier, 26 Linnets, 2 Redshank, 8 Swallows W, 2 Oystercatchers, 3 Ringed Plovers, 1 Turnstone, 1 Blackcap, 1 Willow Warbler and 1 Green Woodpecker.

July 28th
This morning Derek Smith walked from Minnis Bay to Plumpudding and then on to Coldharbour and recorded 1 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Little Egrets, 5 Tufted Duck W, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits W, 1 Black-tailed Godwit W (165th), 15 Whimbrel, 6 Curlew, 1 Greenshank W, 5 Knot W, 43 Dunlin W, 31 Sanderling, 28 Ringed Plovers, 23 Turnstone, 16 Oystercatchers, 18 Common Sandpipers, 1 Sedge Warbler and 18 Swifts W.
Marc Heath walked from the Towers to Coldhabour between 0600 and 0900 and counted 1 Kestrel, 1 Common Tern, 8 Oystercatchers, 2 Grey Herons, 34 Redshank W, 8 Ringed Plovers, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Whimbrel, 170 Linnets, 6 Dunlin, 3 Common Sandpipers, 1 Sparrowhawk, 4 Mediterranean Gulls, 22 Turnstone, 1 Sanderling, 81 Swifts W, 3 Sand Martins, 5 Golden Plovers, 9 Gannets W and 5 Tufted Duck W.

July 23rd to 28th - Shetland Islands
We have spent the last few days on the Shetland Islands exploring the fantastic scenery, the seabird colonies and the archaeological sites. Beside the breeding birds we managed to find 7 Two-barred Crossbills at Brae and an immature Iceland Gull near Busta. The weather was glorious.

Wonderful scenery and weather

Sumburgh Head

Hermaness Gannets

Puffin

Nesting Great Skua

Nesting Red-throated Diver

July 26th
This morning Matt walked from Reculver to Coldharbour and counted 19 Oystercatchers, 18 Ringed Plovers, 15 Turnstone, 15 Sandwich Terns, 10 Little Egrets, 2 Kingfishers, 8 Common Sandpipers, 1 Golden Plover flying west, 31 Common Terns, 6 Dunlin, 2 juvenile Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Grey Herons, 4 Redshank, 1 adult Arctic Tern flying west (164th), 6 Mediterranean Gulls, 4 Greenshank flying west, 5 Whimbrel, 12 Sanderling, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 3 Common Gulls, 23 Swallows, 20 Sand Martins, 1 Marsh Harrier, 8 Whitethroats, 6 Sedge Warblers and  Stonechat. 

July 25th
Matt spent the morning ringing on the Marsh south of the railway where he saw 2 Grey Partridges, 8 Reed Warblers, 4 Sedge Warblers, 18 Whitethroats, 1 Blackcap and 1 Yellow Wagtail.

Birds ringed 34: Wren 1, Whitethroat 16, Reed Warbler 8, Sedge Warbler 3, Linnet 1, Robin 1, Blackcap 1, Reed Bunting 1, Great Tit 1, Blackbird 1

Sedge Warbler

During the afternoon Matt walked to Coldharbour where he saw 1 Gannet, 5 Mediterranean Gulls, 7 Common Scoter, 1 Eider, 1 Common Tern, 1 Common Sandpiper and also a Brown Hawker.

July 23rd
Matt spent the morning ringing at Reculver where he saw 7 Willow Warblers, 2 Garden Warblers, 30 Reed Warblers, 10 Blackcaps, 14 Whitethroats, 6 Chiffchaffs, 3 Cetti's Warblers, 1 Grey Wagtail, 3 Grey Herons, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Jay, 1 Yellow Wagtail and 6 Sand Martins.

Birds ringed 65: Wren 6, Willow Warbler 7, Chiffchaff 4, Reed Warbler 17, Whitethroat 7, Garden Warbler 2, Blackcap 9, Blue Tit 4, Chaffinch 1, Robin 2, Sedge Warbler 3, Blackbird 3

Willow Warbler

He also walked from Chambers Wall to Coldharbour this afternoon and saw 1 Cuckoo, 5 Mediterranean Gulls and 3 Sandwich Terns.

July 22nd
This morning at Reculver there was a warm SW breeze blowing which prompted a westerly movement of Swifts and to a lesser extent hirundines during the first hour of our walk to Coldharbour. We counted 113 Swifts, 51 Swallows, 14 House Martins and 5 Sand Martins.
Other birds we saw included 14 Cormorants, 5 Pied Wagtails, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 4 Little Egrets, 1 Kestrel, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 45 Linnets, 2 Grey Herons, 1 Lapwing, 4 Oystercatchers, 1 Common Sandpiper, 3 Whitethroats, 3 Stonechats, 7 Sanderling, 1 Common Tern, 6 Turnstone, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 1 immature male Eider and 1 Redshank.
We also found 2 Wall Browns living up to their names on the Roman wall at Reculver.

Sea Holly

July 21st
On a warm and sunny morning we walked from Chamber's Wall to Coldhabour and on to the Oyster Farm. The most interesting observation was finding a colour ringed summer plumaged Golden Plover feeding on the beach off the Green Wall. I've sent the details off to the BTO and will be very interested to find out where it was originally ringed.
Other birds we saw were 6 Goldfinches, 2 Grey Herons, 1 Green Woodpecker, 5 Linnets, 2 Redshank, 7 Oystercatchers, 6 Whitethroats, 2 Turnstone, 2 Ringed Plovers, 2 Little Egrets, 2 adult Stonechats carrying food for their second brood of young, 21 Swallows flying W, 1 Curlew, 1 Yellow Wagtails, 1 Mediterranean Gull and 3 Coot.

Colour ringed Golden Plover

Derek Smith was also out this morning and between 0645 and 1030 walked from Shuart to Plumpudding and Coldharbour and back via the railway embankment. He saw 2 Little Egrets, 2 Gannets E, 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Sanderling, 1 Greenshank, 13 Swifts W, 8 Sand Martins W and 6 Yellow Wagtails.

Common Toadflax - Derek Smith

July 20th
After overnight thunder and heavy rain we managed to walk from Reculver to Coldharbour this morning without getting wet. We recorded 3 Pied Wagtails, 30 Linnets, 35 Sand Martins, 22 Mediterranean Gulls, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Whitethroat, 8 Redshank, 6 Little Egrets, 125 Starlings, 7 Oystercatchers, 1 male Stonechat, 4 Ringed Plovers, 1 Dunlin, 1 Sanderling, 3 Swifts W, 5 Mallard, 1 male Marsh Harrier, 2 Turnstone, 9 Cormorants and 2 Common Sandpipers.

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull

July 19th
It was cloudy and damp this morning as we walked from Chamber's Wall to the Oyster Farm lagoons and saw 3 Green Woodpeckers, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 8 Linnets, 1 juvenile Cuckoo, 1 Turtle Dove, 1 male Marsh Harrier, 5 Coot, 1 Corn Bunting, 13 Cormorants, 4 Oystercatchers, 4 Ringed Plovers, 1 Turnstone, 1 Kestrel, 1 Green Sandpiper, 100 Starlings, 1 Curlew, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Little Egrets and 1 male Stonechat with 2 juveniles.

July 18th
This morning we had an enjoyable walk from Reculver to Shuart and recorded 12 species of wader. Birds seen included 9 Pied Wagtails, 9 Swallows, 370 Starlings, 112 Sand Martins, 6 Little Egrets, 12 Mediterranean Gulls, 9 Redshank, 4 Common Sandpipers, 2 Turnstone, 8 Ringed Plovers, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 5 Whitethroats, 2 Stonechats, 1 Dunlin, 1 Sanderling and 13 Cormorants. From Coldharbour onwards we added 2 juvenile Little Ringed Plovers, 1 Greenshank, 6 Swifts W, 1 Wheatear, 1 summer plumaged Golden Plover on the beach, 1 Whimbrel, 9 Linnets, 1 male Ruff flying W, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Curlew, 160 House Sparrows near Plumpudding Stables, 2 Green Woodpeckers and 1 Blackcap.

July 17th
On another warm summer's morning we had a ringing session at Shuart where there might have been the first signs of birds moving. Birds we saw included 6 Greenfinches, 3 Green Woodpeckers, 14 Whitethroats, 25 Goldfinches, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Turtle Dove, 4 Blackcaps, 1 Common Treecreeper, 18 Reed Warblers, 14 Sedge Warblers, 2 Grasshopper Warblers, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Common Buzzard, 12 Linnets and 1 Kestrel.

Birds ringed 55: Treecreeper 1, Reed Warbler 12, Whitethroat 8, Sedge Warbler 10, Blackcap 3, Goldfinch 8, Reed Bunting 6, Grasshopper Warbler 2, Garden Warbler 1, Greenfinch 3, Dunnock 1

Juvenile Grasshopper Warbler

July 16th
We spent a warm and sunny morning ringing on the Marsh south of the railway where we saw 2 Blackcaps, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 6 Mallard, 10 Cormorants, 40 Whitethroats, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Chiffchaff, 20 Reed Warblers, 12 Sedge Warblers, 8 Linnets, 1 Yellow Wagtail and 3 Goldfinches.

Birds ringed 66: Chiffchaff 1, Wren 1, Reed Warbler 13, Whitethroat 28, Blue Tit 7, Linnet 3, Blackcap 2, Sedge Warbler 6, Lesser Whitethroat 1, Great Tit 1, Dunnock 2, Green Woodpecker 1

A noisy juvenile male Green Woodpecker

On our drive home we saw a Red Kite circling over Brook valley.