It’s international dawn chorus day and my birthday and so a bright start to the day saw Sue and I at the RSPB reserve at Frampton Marsh for a dawn chorus bird walk. Setting off with 3 others and our 2 guides we had immediate excitement as one of the guides spotted a flying Wood Sandpiper. Unfortunately, it landed in vegetation and although it was no great distance from us it was lost in the vegetation and not seen again.
Following a hedgerow path, we had soon heard and saw Sedge and Reed Warblers and heard a Lesser Whitethroat calling from deep inside a bush. Further on a Blackcap was singing and there were a number of Goldfinches and Wrens.
We were fortunate to find a Turtle Dove perched in a dead tree, which enabled everyone to get good, if distant, looks at this species which it is likely will no longer be a breeding species in the UK within the next 10 years due to persecution on migration and habitat destruction.
Other highlights were some very fine Ruff in all their splendour and a Whimbrel.
Photo by Jarko J
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/mieshahmo/ )
On returning to the visitor centre, and whilst looking to relocate the Wood Sandpiper seen earlier, I was surprised to find 2 Barnacle Geese, which should have left for their Arctic breeding grounds by now.
After a very good lunch (Kirton Cottage, Kirton – highly recommended) we went to the RSPB reserve at Frieston Shore. It was much quieter here but I did find 4 Eurasian Wigeon and had a couple of Terns fly over although I was unable to get a definite identity (Arctic or Common).
Oystercatcher 
RSPB Freiston Shore 
The Wash saltmarsh
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis)
Greylag Goose [sp] (Anser anser)
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope)
Mallard [sp] (Anas platyrhynchos)
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
Great Crested Grebe [sp] (Podiceps cristatus)
Grey Heron [sp] (Ardea cinerea)
Common Moorhen [sp] (Gallinula chloropus)
Eurasian Coot [sp] (Fulica atra)
Eurasian Oystercatcher [sp] (Haematopus ostralegus)
Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Whimbrel [sp] (Numenius phaeopus)
Eurasian Curlew [sp] (Numenius arquata)
Ruff (Calidris pugnax)
Dunlin [sp] (Calidris alpina)
Common Redshank [sp] (Tringa totanus)
Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
European Herring Gull [sp] (Larus argentatus)
Rock Dove (Feral) (Columba livia ‘feral’)
Common Wood Pigeon [sp] (Columba palumbus)
European Turtle Dove [sp] (Streptopelia turtur)
Eurasian Collared Dove [sp] (Streptopelia decaocto)
Common Swift [sp] (Apus apus)
Common Kestrel [sp] (Falco tinnunculus)
Eurasian Magpie [sp] (Pica pica)
Western Jackdaw [sp] (Coloeus monedula)
Rook [sp] (Corvus frugilegus)
Carrion Crow [sp] (Corvus corone)
Eurasian Blue Tit [sp] (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Great Tit [sp] (Parus major)
Sand Martin [sp] (Riparia riparia)
Barn Swallow [sp] (Hirundo rustica)
Common House Martin [sp] (Delichon urbicum)
Cetti’s Warbler [sp] (Cettia cetti)
Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)
Eurasian Reed Warbler [sp] (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)
Eurasian Blackcap [sp] (Sylvia atricapilla)
Lesser Whitethroat [sp] (Sylvia curruca)
Eurasian Wren [sp] (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Common Starling [sp] (Sturnus vulgaris)
Common Blackbird [sp] (Turdus merula)
Mistle Thrush [sp] (Turdus viscivorus)
European Robin [sp] (Erithacus rubecula)
House Sparrow [sp] (Passer domesticus)
Dunnock [sp] (Prunella modularis)
White Wagtail (Pied) (Motacilla alba yarrellii)
Common Chaffinch [sp] (Fringilla coelebs)
European Greenfinch [sp] (Chloris chloris)
Common Linnet [sp] (Linaria cannabina)
European Goldfinch [sp] (Carduelis carduelis)
Common Reed Bunting [sp] (Emberiza schoeniclus)
Pete's Favourite Things 