long awaited county tick in the form of an avocet past st caths this morning, nice and close too. Given the conditions it was a poor seawatch even by iow standards (arctic skua, bonxie, kestrel in off).

another glorious day. two redstarts at culver this evening

glanville cats. wont be long now

i've been looking for snakes for the last year so was pleased to see this male adder at a known site on the disused railway at bembridge. i spotted its old skin too but wasn't about to stick my hand into the bush where the snake was to get it! two reed warblers at laundry lane must be my earliest. whitethroat near brading station. willow warblers singing everywhere, with 12 birds in the cliff gully between red cliff and culver cliff. 11 wheatears at yaverland. now three sedge warblers at the canoe lake. on an amazing summer like day the afternoon was spent getting burnt on the beach and i even dipped my toes in the sea.

Sedge warbler in at the canoe lake

migration at its most tangible

a quick stroll down st cath's yesterday afternoon coincided with the arrival of beatrice http://www.roydennis.org/osprey/index.asp?id=86. satellite transmissions show she headed up the medina and out towards southampton. her timing and direction are spot on too - in 2009 she crossed the channel on april 2nd and arrived at compton bay. this year beatrice was hot on the heels of red 8t http://www.roydennis.org/osprey/index.asp?id=235&sid=171#thumb who passed through west wight the previous morning - was it the bird seen at yarmouth?

she flew west over the cliff edge at the point then turned up towards gore cliff at 14.30