Hundreds of hirundines

I began the day at Kilvington - convinced that the Black-winged Stilt that flew NNW from Rutland Water last night would have headed this way (it hadn't - it went to Spalding instead). There were a few hirundines on the East Lake; 5 Swallows and 2 House Martins. Nearby, the horse paddocks at Cotham Flash still didn't hold a Ring Ouzel; thrush interest here instead came in the form of 35 Fieldfares. No Yellow Wags today either.

Collingham produced my first good concentration of hirundines of the year - around 40 Sand Martins, 4 Swallows and 2 House Martins over the Main Pit, with a female Marsh Harrier north through here. On the Silt Lagoon, there was a Little Egret, with more hirundines at Mons Pool - 20 Sand Martins, and 10 Swallows, plus 3 Redshank.

Finally, as the weather came in at Girton, so did more hirundines; at the north end of the Sailing Lake, at least 40 Swallows were amongst c.100 Sand Martins, along with about 3 House Martins, and a further 40 or so Swallows and c.20 Sand Martins were on the Spalford Pit, bring the day's Swallow count to a least 95.

Swallows at Girton Pits

Elsewhere at Girton, there were good numbers of singing Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers, with a fly-over Yellow Wag near the sailing club, but no Whitethroats yet, and only one Sedge Warbler, along Trent Lane. Aside from migrants, the 3 Pink-feet remain on the Trent off the fishermens carpark (but no sign of last week's White-front), with 2 Curlew also here - hopefully  latter may stay and breed on the holmes.