It's a purple patch

There's been a bit of an influx at Dru, 9 year ticks in two days, 8 of em today!

Went down last nite, got soaked, but there appeared to have been a mini-fall of wheatears, we counted a minimum of 15 in two small areas, mainly greenland leucorhoa race birds, sadly no pics...too wet. There were at least 12 blackwits on the budge fields and a first summer little gull on the pool. Perhaps the most amazing site was the number of sand martins over the pool, there were at least 250, some of them were perching on the remains of the islands vegetation.

Some of the 250+ sand martin on the island

Back to Dru before work this morning, most of the wheatears had gone but 3-4 were still present along the roadside, sedgies were singing and a whitethroat was on the fence in front of the wood - not a bad start, a bash of the woodlands produced a lesser-whitethroat. Tim Dean was spotted along the track, he had seen an iceland gull by the haul road from Chev! When we walked to the top end to look for it, we had a party of ten swifts, obviously just arrived, over the dunes/pool. The iceland gull (1st summer) was very obligingly perched on the fence, though by the time we got close to enough to digi-scope, it was flushed by the custodians of the countryside in their 4X4. got a long range record shot though. The blackwits were now 20.

Gleaming! crappy record shot of the iceland gull

It's been heavy showers all day, but couldn't resist calling in after work, at least 12 blackwits on the fields with two whimbrel and three yellow wagtails perched on the fence. A few wheatears were on the grass and still c200 sand martins over the pool.

Rainbow...Pot of gold? - my arse! goldfinch maybe...with linnets

Then got a call offuv the Boulmer Birder to say there was an unringed white stork at nearby Bockenfield airstrip, so it would be rude not to go and see it, a county-tick after all. Unfortunately Stew's eyesight aint what it used to be, as later IF picked up a small close-type ring with his mega-lens camera - back off the list...It was a nice bird though.

Spot the ring? No neither did I

Spent Saturday ringing dipper pulli with John Richardson, Neil Anderson and Janet in Upper Coquetdale and the North Tyne, we did three broods of the ugly blighters, nice to get inland for a change.

A very small dipper

A big dipper

Dipper nest - nice job!

101 black-tailed godwit
102 whitethroat
103 sedge warbler
104 lesser-whitethroat
105 house martin
106 swift
107 iceland gull
108 yellow wagtail
109 whimbrel