Wednesday 17 August 2016

With a few early morning jobs to do, I didn't arrive at Nethergong until 9.30am where it was already quite warm. I spent five hours wandering around the site where my time was divided between birding and looking for dragonflies. I also spent some time showing some of the campers the Willow Emerald Damselflies of which I found c60 today. It was quite quiet on the bird front but a few bits of quality were seen including the first Greenshank (104) which was heard calling 3 times but went unseen. Not long after 3 Green Sandpiper were seen and heard calling as they made their way towards the Stour Valley. Other birds noted included 1 Hobby which flew at speed over the main car park where it was seen a few seconds later flying back with a young Swallow in its talons it had just caught. There were 8 Common Buzzard seen with 7 in the air together drifting west, 1 Great spotted Woodpecker, 3 Chiffchaff, 1 Whitethroat, 8 Cormorant, 3 Kestrel, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Marsh Harrier, 8 Swallow, 3 House Martin and 1 Treecreeper. Despite much searching of posts and fences, I couldn't find and Whinchat or Wheatear but the Greenshank was definitely a bonus bird for the year and most welcome indeed. I have a few days camping coming up soon with the family at Nethergong so I will try to get out early and who knows, I might get a flyover wader calling at night as I lay in the tent. 

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