Sunday 2nd May

A visit today between 6.45am and 9am. Heavy cloud at first and then rain, which was eventually torrential from 8.30.

I parked at Brooklands Lake and walked around the lake towards the sunken marsh. Not as much bird-song due to the conditions I guess. What i have noticed this year is a welcome increase in Sedge Warbler numbers. Best sighting today was my first Turtle Dove of the year. I heard it call briefly in the sunken marsh and then saw it fly away from me into deep cover. Still no sign of any Sandpipers on the Medway that have been seen by others.

Good numbers of Nightingale - 14 heard this morning. The picture below is the typical view in dense cover.

Nightingale

I walked back along the Millstream but the rain was heavy now. I did pull my camera out briefly to snap this Garden Warbler (apologies for the quality but i didn't want to get my camera too wet!)

Garden Warbler

As the rain was torrential I drove around to Alders in the hope of a Black Tern or something exciting. A lone Common Tern was here and a huge flock of hirundines of all four species.