Ruddy Shelduck and Year Tick Wheatears

This morning I met Anand at Beddington Farmlands at Phase 3 Wet Grassland to see if the Stone Curlew had stayed overnight. Unfortunately we could not find it anywhere. I did however here a singing Chiffchaff coming from the South East Corner and a Fieldfare was about somewhere but I couldn't see it. We then headed away from Phase 3, to the Enclosed Lagoons, where we saw a Jack Snipe and 2 Water Pipits. We then made our way up mound to try and find the male Wheatear that Andy Harding had just had. Before we managed to see it I got a phone call from Andy. I knew he was down by Phase 3 so I thought he had relocated the Stone Curlew. I never expected him to tell me that he had a Ruddy Shelduck out on Phase 3! Had Anand and I really glanced past it whilst scanning for the Stone Curlew or had it only just dropped in? We headed back south over the mound to Phase 3 and instantly got onto the bird. I then had to leave Phase 3 to head to Charlie's office for a short meeting. On route to the office I found a pair of Great Crested Grebes on the North Lake and then on Phase 1 Wet Grassland landed my scope onto a stunning 1st cycle Caspian Gull. I spent a while getting a few phonescopes of the Casp and then had to rush back to the office as otherwise I would have been late. As I went past Phase 2 Wet Grassland I noticed at least seven Stonechats.

Once my meeting had finished I headed straight back to Phase 2 to try and figure out just how many Stonechats there actually were. I managed to confirm that there were 9 birds together. Andy then reported three more male Wheatear not too far away so I headed round to see them. I must have been where he had seen them less than five minutes after he had put the news out but they were nowhere to be seen, so I headed back to Phase 1 to see if the Casp was still about. Sure enough the Casp was there bossing about some of the nearby Herring Gulls and some Magpies. I decided to wait and watch it because it was such a lovely individual and only my second Casp here this year (last one was 1st January). Whilst I waiting for it to fly up an adult Med Gull dropped in calling. Just as I was thinking of leaving the Casp and heading back to the mound to do a skywatch it took off and kindly flew past Dave and I, calling as is went, rather than flying away from us. Dave and I then headed up the mound and managed to find 3 Wheatear. I am not sure if all of them were different birds to the ones Andy had but one of ours was a female so there were at least 5 Wheatear on site today. Our short skywatch was decent too - we had a Red Kite fly west, 3 Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk. The Great Crested Grebes started displaying and a male Reed Bunting flew south over the North Lake. Just before leaving the site we headed back to Phase 3. The Ruddy Shelduck had gone but I managed to pick out three Little Ringed Plovers (2 males and 1 female). The two males were already chasing each other about. On the way out of the South Gate there was another singing Chiffchaff. Full eBird list here.

Ruddy Shelduck above and below

1st cycle Caspian Gull below:

Adult Mediterranean Gull below: