Cranes and other stories

Steve's pic (hope it's ok to post?)

Missed 'em, total,total jealousy. I'd have loved to have got those (yesterday). Love the noise they make too.

However, despite over-sleeping this morning and not getting to Abbey Plain 'til just after 9 all was not lost. A White Wagtail was running between the cows legs with a male Pied for comparison. Subsequently a good few more M.as were seen, some heading west some lingering. These were caught up in a pretty good Mepit movement which included 64 coasting west in a 20 minute count - they were going for the two hours I was there. Also quite a few Linnets moving - 10 west in the 20 mins. A Sand Martin was nice - I heard Chiffchaff from the garden yesterday, so 2nd summer migrant species of the year (excluding Mallorca).

One Velvet Scoter was still present with 74 Common Scoter off the coastguards. Also there and new since my last visit about 100 Kittiwake. 4 Eider were loitering along with a Red-throated Diver (another went east). A shufty around the allotments did not reveal the hoped for Firecrest though.