Odds, Ends, and a Barwit

At roughly 06:15 on May 1st I arrived at Cogden Beach from Burton Bradstock, and was greeted by this welcome sight...

Bar-tailed Godwit on Cogden Beach.

If you look closely you can see a little flag poking out from its upper left leg. Barwits on the deck are unusual enough anyway, so a ringed bird is rather special. As I endeavoured to get closer, it hooked up with a flock of five jittery Oystercatchers. I got one chance at a photo before they all flew...

I sent the photo to a Barwit ringing project in Holland, and heard back today. Details at the end of this post.

But first, a few odds and ends from recent days...

A rare chance of a nice Gannet pic. Cogden Beach again, May 1st.

A local spot has been attracting good numbers of hirundines on occasion, with several hundred present on Sunday evening. If anywhere close to home is likely to attract a Red-rumped Swallow one day, I would say this place is as good as any...

There might not have been any Red-rumped Swallows, but...

...there was this nice rosy-breasted job.

This may or may not have been the same bird as above. Note how that rosy tint is evident on the underwing coverts too. Lovely.

A few Sand Martins also present...

...and my first two Swifts of the year.

On Tuesday, a mammal tick at Cogden...

My first Sika...

...was quickly joined by a second.

Both young males, they were pretty impressive beasts, much bigger than I would have guessed. Apparently there have been a few records at Cogden and West Bexington over the years. I do find it amazing how deer seem to get about okay, despite the dense web of barbed wire smothering the countryside.

A close Red-throated Diver yesterday

My first Small Copper of 2022 at Cogden yesterday morning.

His and hers beach concrete

And finally, that Barwit again...

Ringed in May 2021, my sighting is the first report since then.

The dropped pin marks its ringing location: Texel, in the Wadden Sea; the red blob is me.

This evening I went for a stroll around Cogden. Migrant-wise there were four Wheatears on the beach and a few Swallows passing, but little else, if anything. Yet here we are in early May, theoretically a time of urgent birdy action. Ah well...

Maybe tomorrow.