Wheatear 'ere

Male wheatear

A post-work trundle around the estuary environs this evening finally had me connecting with wheatear.
Two smart males were on the tide-line at Aldcliffe Marsh - as far as I'm aware, these are the first of the year on the patch.

The single little ringed plover was still on The Flood and at least 2 chiffchaff were in the hedgerow along the upper cinder path, along with a goldcrest.
There were no geese on the marsh and mute swan numbers had dwindled significantly leaving only younger birds on the saltmarsh. The ringed whooper was nowhere to be seen - hardly surprising given the good conditions for departure.

There was nothing to shout about at Freeman's Pools; I was hoping for a dusk sand martin or two to drop in but alas I left the area hirundine-free.
I'd received message that the barn owl was seen again around 6.45pm yesterday but I couldn't track it down this evening.
Jon