It was absolutely freezing this morning, a nasty northerly cutting right through me as I had optimistically dressed for an early May morning, I should really have known better, it was a bank holiday weekend after all. As soon as I arrived at the basin I was greeted by a heartily singing Lesser Whitethroat, a very welcome yeartick as it can be a difficult spring species here and is by no means guaranteed in autumn. I decided to give the Thames half an hour and almost immediately picked up four Swallows heading east low over the water, yeartick two, things were looking up despite the weather. I then headed for the ecology park where John had scored a very good local double of Sedge and Garden Warblers yesterday, I could find neither but another Lesser Whitethroat was singing there. Gary turned up with the news that he'd had both Swift and Sand Martin at the basin, while we were comparing notes another Sand Martin flew over north, yeartick three. We both heard a brief snatch of acro song that might or might not have been Sedge Warbler, but it refused to play ball so we had to leave it. Back at the basin Gary picked up another Swift, yeartick four and then I got on to a flock of four, a massive count here, all were heading roughly north. Other notables included three Shelduck, a Kestrel, two Common Sandpiper, a Common Tern, five singing Blackcaps and a singing Common Whitethroat.
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