Swifts

some of the c300 Common Terns at The Patch

 On a thoroughly miserable day I spent an hour or so in The Patch Hide this morning for a change. Over the boil c300 Common Terns and at least 1 Arctic Tern picked out by DW, also a 1st summer Little Gull among the usual non breeding Black-headed Gulls and Herring Gulls. On the beach at least 4 North Thames colour ringed Herring Gulls, off shore c30 Common Scoter flew east and a handful of Gannets.
At the ARC a wander up to the pines saw 3 Cuckoo's, 2 unhappy Hobby's c100 Swifts with a few Swallows and the usual reed bed warblers.

At Scotney c 500 Swifts covering the lake, also of note 10 adult Avocets and 5 chicks and a Little Ringed Plover.
A cycle ride down Galloways this afternoon saw a Corn Bunting, a Cuckoo, 4 Stonechats, several Common Whitethroats, a Sedge Warbler, a Marsh Harrier and bumped into The joker on the way out. When I arrived at Springfield Bridge there were 5 very miserable looking Hobby's sitting on the security fence posts and another c150 Swifts. I was going to wander down to the hay fields but saw that the wardens were working in them which gave me the excuse cycle back home for a cup of tea.