Brightening up, but for how long?

The Safari was out last night on Patch 1, no sign of the Peregrine but we did get a good count of 59 Magpies in Magpie Wood. Once again this morning we could hear the local Song Thrush was giving it plenty of welly before the alarm went off. It had gone quiet by the time we left through the front door. On our way round the ‘dry run’ we passed by the bottom of the tower and although we couldn’t see it we could certainly hear the Peregrine making a right old racket.
A Song Thrush sang loudly from Magpie Wood, the first we’ve heard from there.

Even at 08.00 Patch 2 felt like a summer’s day in Paradise. The dropping tide was already well out and had left a full strandline of shells for the gulls to rummage through. But it was the Sanderlings that first caught our attention. A concerted count gave us at least 386, there was a bit of flightyness before we got to the end of the flock. We didn’t see any Dunlins among the Sanderlings but two Knots were sufficient recompense. Oystercatchers were numerous but not as numerous as yesterday say 200 – 300 tops.
There were good numbers of gulls both searching through the strandline and waiting for goodies to be washed up in the surf. Nothing to get the juices flowing could be found; if yesterday’s late Mediterranean Gull was there it must have been with the multitude further to the south along with all the other exciting ones.
We totally ignored the sea so there was probably something worth seeing out there, there certainly wasn’t at lunchtime!

We still had the beautiful sunshine and that was what was causing the visibility problems – gee we just can’t win! Nowt was about as they say.
Where to next? We’re seriously tempted to follow the youngsters JS, AB & AC around the nature reserve as we heard they had just short of 70 species by midafternoon and were staying out til dusk!!!

It probaby looked something like this today...Also heard on the grapevine that CR was out with his long lens so there may be some decent pics to be seen later this evening.
In the meantime let us know how long the sunshine is going to last in your outback.