GEDSER - 11th August

A similar day again but with the wind turned down a notch produced a much better morning in the nets with 60 new birds trapped including a juvenile Red-backed Shrike, 2 Icterine Warblers, a Wood Warbler, the first 4 Tree Pipits of the autumn and much improved totals of 11 Redstarts, 15 Whitethroats and 12 Willow Warblers.   There was a bit of action overhead as well with 21+ Tree Pipits, a Siskin and a Golden Plover seen through the morning.

                I then had a look from the point (1200-1330) which produced 130+ Common / Arctic Terns (mainly Arctics), 2 Wood Sandpipers, 3 Oystercatchers, 6 Dunlin and a White-tailed eagle circling to the north of the station – several flocks of Terns and Waders were cutting the corner and heading across the fields.

                A very productive watch from the tower hide at Bøtø later in the afternoon produced a wide range of things highlighted by good views of a Spotted Crake skulking along the back reeds with 3+ Water Rails and the male White-spotted Bluethroat pretty much in the same place as last time; waders were again very obvious as counts included 3 Curlew Sandpipers (smart, still red adults), a juvenile Little Stint, c14 Greenshank, 4 Spotted Redshank, 20 Dunlin, a Knot, c17 Wood Sandpipers, 3 Green Sandpipers, 2 Common Sandpipers, a Ruff, a juvenile Little-ringed Plover, a couple of Ringed Plovers and some Lapwings.

                Other birds in no particular order included an Osprey over to the south, 3 White-tailed Eagles, 5+ Marsh Harriers, the pair of Cranes, a Great White Egret, 3 Garganey and plenty of ducks.

 

Tree Pipit

Adult male Redstart

Juvenile Red-necked Grebe showing well on the pool to the north of Bøtø

Lesser Whitethroat warming up in the early morning sun