Weekend migrants

News of a Black Tern at Stocks meant that I just had to make the trip up there on Saturday afternoon. First call was into the old hide, opposite which was a splendid adult Med Gull. Two splendid drake Red-breasted Mergansers fished the inlet. I made my way up to the new hide where Mike Watson was in residence. Three Whimbrel sat on the bank opposite, a Greenshank fed actively in the bay and Common Sands called as they flew from one bank to the other.
A cuckoo called from the opposite hillside so I just had to entice it over and after a few renditions, it came up to the hide to give us some great views. As we got back into the hide, Mike called out two terns over the reservoir and after watching them from a distance, made our way back to the old hide where we enjoyed some good views of two Black Terns. Now sated, I had to get back home for the visit of Pete and Sue – together with a Chinese and some very nice wine!
Today, I awoke relatively early and so decided to do one of my tetrads. My reward was a Lesser Whitethroat singing on the railway embankment at Rishton Res – a song I never tire of hearing and certainly in East Lancashire where the species turns up rather sporadically. I’ve had one sing in my garden before now. The Sedge Warbler was back at Whitebirk but what I didn’t expect was one in my neighbours garden whilst I was having my lunch.

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