Happy Monday

As you can imagine from Steve's pic below, Freeman's Pools were pretty birdless yesterday. The canoeist was just 1 of a gang of 8 kids enjoying the new amenities, while the occasional adults with dogs splashing around etc added to the feeling that the reading of signs isn't a high priority when the sun's shining.
In fact, that lot combined with the glut of seasonal jet skiers on the river meant that I hardly saw a bird for the first couple of hours of being out! As you may imagine my WeBS was low on highlights...

Considerably better today due to the Pools being unoccupied by all and sundry. The little ringed plovers had returned and the oystercatcher pair seemed to be back into the idea of nesting on the island. 6 gadwall were back, though of the 6 coot nests two had been pretty much wrecked by the Sunday invasion.
A fairly steady, if light, movement of swallows and meadow pipits was underway and at least 1 long-eared owl is still in the area.
A group of 4 jays were in Freeman's Wood.
Steve & Guy had seen the green sandpiper on the Wildfowlers' Pools plus a couple of egrets on the marsh.


...STOP PRESS...

An osprey passed up river, as seen from the upper path at 4.20pm. It was fair bombing along, at considerable height. My 3rd Aldcliffe bird this spring and my 4th so far this year... A common buzzard followed about 4 minutes later, higher still.
A little owl and nuthatch were in Admiralty Wood.