Then looking out to see about 20 Sandwich Terns and c400 Manxies were all in easy view, as I scanned around I found several Common Scoter and the Long-tailed drake, now nearly in full summer plumage with seemingly just a white crown to turn black. He was a bit too far away to see if his face has any colour. A Red-throated diver appeared from nowhere right in front of me then disappeared just as mysteriously about 10mins later but was supplanted by an Arctic Tern heading towards the Dyfi. Unusually there were six Teal out at sea.
Heading up towards Ynys Las there were three Linnets in the bushes and another 10 or so Mipits with two Pied Wags on the Links. Just by the flooded road section a lone Sand Martin was sitting on the roadside fence as I stopped it was right outside the passenger window and my camera was in the boot of the car, never a boy scout. I don't remember ever being this close to a Sandy before.
On to the Point it was with some anger that I walked around due to a twerp in a power boat racing around the estuary right up to the shoreline, there's never a handy rocket launcher about when you need one. At first it was fairly quiet 24 Sanderling, 4 Ringed Plover a few Cormorants and Herring gulls then about 350 Golden Plover flew in and most of them looking resplendent in near full summer plumage. I was trying to sketch them when the rain started so I set off back to the car.
By the time I got back the rain had stopped and John and Harry were there with some customers of John's. We all went down to the saltings end of the beach and had Sanderling c40, Dunlin c20, Ringed Plover c30, Grey Plover, Redshank, several Sandwich and one Arctic Terns and a Peregrine. I was just about to go home for brunch when Harry spotted 4 Whimbrel flying towards us, they landed a little way off but were clearly as identified. I headed for home and the morning was nicely rounded off by the sighting of a Swallow just up the road off the beach, where it had been flooded for several weeks.
Here is the finished sketch off today's birds.
