Last night and this morning

I spent the last hour of light at West Hartford last night. A Greenshank and Green Sandpiper where the only birds on the pools, I have checked WH a few times during the week but it has been quiet.
I was sitting on the ground scanning the edges of the main pool when a Peregrine- Patch Tick, flew over the fire station and headed west. As it went 1000+ Gulls lifted from the factory roof tops in panic and mobbed it. I scanned the sky for a while after but it did not return.
In the darkness I could hear Grey Partridge calling to each other from the back fields and a Woodcock flew over the entrance plantation.

This morning I went to the Blyth Estuary with SH which we had planned to do before the Greenish Warbler had been seen on Tuesday.
The Estuary was quiet so we checked Baites Filtration Pools instead. A GS Woodpecker was calling from the trees near the pools before it flew over the River.

We could hear a Water Rail screeching from the middle of the reed bed as we approached but it never showed itself.
A late Sedge Warbler was doing it best to make us think it was an Aquatic Warbler when it showed on and off in the reeds. Whilst waiting for it to show a Reed Warbler climbed up and down a reed stem.

Before heading up to Cresswell we stopped at Cambois and checked the scrubland around the old train tracks. No rare migrants were found but there were 2 Blackcap, 4 Whitethroat and a Willow Tit, which called.
The area is so dense there probably is something rare lurking in there.

At Cresswell the tide was rising so the sand bar only held a few waders. Amongst the group of Canada Geese was a single Pink Footed and 3 Pintail were also on the pond.
At one point all the birds on the pond lifted as a Peregrine swooped down. It chased the Lapwing flock in front of the hide but didn’t catch anything and flew off.
During the confusion of everything moving around 5 Goosander landed on the pond and 2 Curlew Sandpiper joined the waders on the sand bar.

112 – Peregrine Falcon