The Lincolnshire Bird Club

An afternoon of despair in the cold winds and heavy driving rain. The only summer visitors seen between Stonebridge and Pye's Hall were Ring Ouzel, Blackcap, Willow Warbler and 3 Whimbrels. Encouraging to see a few ducks and waders on the fields to be flooded in the forthcoming realignment scheme.

Does anybody recall a damper drought?

Regards SL.

Pye's to Stonebridge this evening 2 SE owls, male Redstart at half way; at Stonebridge singing Whitethroat and Blackcap in the buckthorn.
On the feeders 2 Bramblings. Return trip female Hen Harrier flew south.

Regards Mark

Indeed Steve the wettest drought i,ve known for some time, of interest 14mm of rainfall measured
on the coast (home) 32 mm at Waddington, monthly total at my house 101 mm.
300412, CBC on S T nnr, this morning the first for 3 weeks, se owl hunting, several swallows and 2 house martins 2 swifts and 3 yellow wagtails over, on the survey area (singing) 8 whitethroats,
3 grasshopper warblers, 6 willow warblers, 2 chiffchaffs, 1 blackcap, 1 sedge warbler,
and from all the resident bird activity and the newly flooded low lying areas i assume a high level of nest failure ( especially ground nests) due to yesterdays weather.
I believe some parts of central Lincs have now measured about 160mm this month. regards John.

April rain measurement for my garden was 115mm.

More birds in evidence at the south end of Donna Nook this morning. Of note were 46 Swallows, 4 House Martins, 3 Sedge Warblers, 9 Whitethroats, one Lesser Whitethroat, 8 Willow Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs, one Blackcap, 2 Grasshopper Warblers, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 5 Wheatears, 7 Whimbrels, one Tree Pipit, 2 Common Redstarts, 2 Cuckoos, one Fieldfare and 2 Black Terns. The last flew north along the tide-edge at 1005.

Still fairly quiet at Cleethorpes, only new birds fresh in this morning after the rain are singles of Cuckoo, Sedge Warbler and Grasshopper Warbler, + 6 Wheatear, 3 Whitethroat and 2 Lesser Whitethroat.

_________________
Regards, DJB. http://bradderscleebirding.blogspot.co.uk/

This evening 2 Whinchat, 6 Wheatear, 1Whimbrel and a Cuckoo at Pye's. 11 Wheatear at Stonebridge.

Regards Mark

A few migrants this morning in the first couple of hours after dawn at Huttoft:

Tree Pipit - 1
N Wheatear - 8
Cuckoo - 1
Green Sandpiper - 1
Yellow wag - 1
Willow W - 3

James

doing a BBS this morning at Alkborough I came across several pairs of Skylarks pushing their eggs around on small inflatable rafts -- but as noted a lot of nest failures must have occurred though one nest on the top of the embankment had escaped flooding but being within 6 inches of a public footpath is also likely to fail; where there were 70+ Reed Warbler territories last year there was 1 singing male this morning and just one sedge and no Whitethroats as yet but a modest increase at Barton where 10+ Whitethroats and my first Cuckoo there this am --