En Masse Migrants

Spent the day surveying at North Killingholme, Lincolnshire and it was a veritable feast of year ticks. A breeding bird survey found unseen Sedge Warblers newly in around the pits. A couple of Avocets were kicking about on the pits, the first I have managed all year. A single smart Dunlin in summer dress and a few Redshanks were also pratting around. Linnets and Tree Sparrows amongst the car parks of the port were a bit incongruous. Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers were calling all over and a pair of Stock Doves flused from vegetation.

The best was to follow on the second leg with 4 smart Yellow Wagtails knocking about including a singing male. A Mistle Thrush was singing with vigour from a tree top - presumably an unmated bird. A Yellowhammer sang its merry tune from a hedgerow and its cogener of the Reed Bunting variety 'sang' from the small ditch. As I was walking back to the car a couple of Whitethroats chased around a small reed stand. Two Sand Martins whizzed past overhead and to complete my hirundine set a House Martin circled the port as lorries were boarding the container ship. There were tonnes of Swallows bobbing about.

I had been given a heads up about the pits being a Black-tailed Godwit roost so I gave the pits another scan prior to starting my WeBs count. About 500 of these leggy beauties were present and I found one which was colour ringed - I shall report back when I find out the details. Also present were my first Little Ringed Plovers of the year. By this time I was expecting some gross rarity but it became more mundane quickly. Aside from bog standard Ringed Plovers on the beach and two Red-legged Partridge on the sea wall (that seemed wrong - especially when they flushed off toward the beach...they quickly returned to terra firma) it was as you were with the godwits decamping to the beach about half tide. Last gasp was a Snipe swimming across a ditch on the pits - I didnt know they could!