By recent standards, today has been fairly quiet but after something of a chilly start the became 'hot' the first time for a while.
Even at 06:30 the Grey Squirrels were already chasing each other around the cemetery, but that was all there was to see.
Across the road, Radipole remains 'muddy' and still holding some of the Waders of the past couple of days including Little Ringed Plover, Black-tailed Godwit and Dunlin. Waterfowl numbers now seem to be on the increase and while Mallard predominate, Shoveler have reached double figures.
The Brown rat of yesterday was still scavenging at the Visitor's Centre, but it wasn't the only one. This juv/first winter Herring Gull was making a meal of a dead adult bird showing no signs of cause of death.
Water Rail were also making their presence 'heard' with 2 venturing out of the reeds, and there were a couple at Lodmoor too later in the morning. Talking of which it was soon time to walk there stopping as I did to check out this
rather nice Daimler Dart sports car parked at the railway Station.
On the Moor, Red & Greenshank quickly showed themselves as did a few Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, a single Ringed Plover plus 3 Sandwich Tern.
Good numbers of Migrant Hawker Dragonflies were also on the wing
but unusually only one Little Egret was seen today.
Walking north along Beachdown Way the reed-beds to the west seemed full of Bearded Tit and for the first time this week both Reed and Sedge Warblers were recorded.
Snowberry has also appeared along the hedgerows, but this is a popular garden shrub from the Americas that has escaped to the wild.
