Great(er) mornings birding

I was out with SH and IFo this morning. After another look at the much obliging Desert Wheatear just north of Beacon Point we headed off to East Chevington.

The GW Teal didn't show itself on the south pool but a lot of the Teal were just on the edge of the reeds and it could be easily hidden. A Water Rail was calling form somewhere on the south pool.

This was probably my best ever visit to East Chevington, a site where I haven't had much luck in the past.
The norht pool was lifting with birds the highlights being 3 drake pintail, 1 Long Tailed Duck, 2 female type Scaup, an Otter and a Great Northern Diver.
This was the first time I had ever seen a GN Diver and LT Duck away from the sea, but it was still hard to spot them at times as the disappeared under the water for long periods of time.
Also a semi Ermine Stoat ran accroos the field over looking the south pool.

Ladyburn Lake was our next stop were an impressive 27 Pochard and 6 Red Breasted Mergansers were diving.
Amonst the Mallard, Moorhen and Tufted Duck near the waters edge was a single female Pintail.

On our way down to Cresswell Pond, 2 Waxwings were spotted in the tree tops near the turn off for West Chevington.

We stopped at the roadside overlooking the flash north of Bell's Pond on the way as well. The Greater Yellowlegs was feeding alongside 2 Curlew near the fenceline right of the flash. An useasonal Black Tailed Gotwit was also on the flash and 2 Whooper Swan flew north.

Oppossite the the car park at the south end of Cresswell Pond were a pair of Stonechat, the first I have seen for some time.
54 Whooper Swans (most of which flew off towards Warkworth Lane), were on the pond along with 450+ Wigeon.
Not long before we left a group of waders circled the pond a few times looking for the now hidden sand bar before landing on the western spit.
The group contained 20 Turnstone and 4 Purple Sandpiper, both rarities and my first at Cresswell Pond.