Pennington Marsh - 1st August

Sarah was heading to Cheltenham for her sisters 40th birthday party, this was ladies party and so I decided to ehad to Pennington Marsh for a few hours in the morning. I walked out past Fishtail to Keyhaven Lagoon and then back east to Jetty Lagoon. The tide was high but there were remarkably few waders present and very few migrants in the bushes. The highlights were a single Common Sandpiper and 34 summer plumage Dunlin on Fishtail Lagoon and the flock of Eider, now numbering 24, showing well off Butts Lagoon.

My eBird checklist for the visit can be viewed here.

Common Sandpiper - Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Dunlin - Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Eider - off Butts Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Caspian Tern at Fishlake Meadows - 28th July

News of a Caspian Tern showing well at Fishlake Meadows, less than five minutes from my house at 17:00 made me drop what I was doing and head to the site immediately. I was convinced that the bird would have flow by the time I arrived so I was pleased to arrive at the southern view point to see the bird hawking back and forth over the open water. The bird showed well, occasionally very well before heading off site to the south-west at around 17:45. This bird was first found yesterday at around 12:30 before it flew west at 13:00 it then appeared at the reserve on a further for occasions before being finally seen later in the evening on 28th.

Also present here were three Great White Egret. My eBird checklist can be viewed here.