It began raining shortly after 9 o'clock and was forecast to continue all day into darkness. Entrepid birder Steve Rodwell typically braved the weather and phoned me late morning with news that he had just found a juvenile WOOD SANDPIPER at College Lake - the first locally of the year. I raced over and joined him and Mike Campbell in the Octagon Hide, where all three of us watched the bird until 1320 hours, when it suddenly started calling repeatedly and flew off strongly east. Despite a lot of rain, I did manage to get a few images....
Two COMMON SNIPE were also present on the marsh, while a COMMON REDSHANK flew through. The big story of the morning however were the number of grounded SAND MARTINS - at least 45 here and a further 350 at Tring Reservoirs...
At Pitstone Quarry, highlight was a newly-arrived breeding-plumaged DUNLIN - with 6 Little Ringed Plovers and an adult Common Gull remaining
A juvenile COMMON SHELDUCK was new in at Startop's End Reservoir, where 24 Mute Swans, an adult OYSTERCATCHER and 80 Sand Martins were counted, whilst Tringford Reservoir yielded a single Little Egret and 60 more Sand Martins
Wilstone Reservoir held 3 GREEN SANDPIPERS, 13 Little Egrets, a pair of adult Hobbies and at least 185 Sand Martins.
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