Every evening this week has been rainy, but today was down to just drizzle so I went to Whitlingham anyway. The temptation was further down the valley at Strumpshaw, where they have Garganey, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Swallow, Sand Martin and House Martin. Arriving at the Little Broad a Swallow zoomed low across the water in front of me. Taking several counts and averaging them (bloody difficult to count, they wouldn't stay still, surprisingly) I counted 32 Swallows. In amongst them were three Sand Martins, a day later than in 2009. On the beach area a pair of Grey Wagtails were a welcome sight, the bright yellow standing out against the murkiness.
.After that the rest of the walk was a bit of a let down. Still no broods of young from the geese, and a lone Chiffchaff was the only warbler calling. 15+ Swallows and 6 Sand Martins were feeding over the water between the south shore and island. With the drizzle still falling and another batch of canoeists setting out I headed home.
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