Our coastal patch just keeps giving.

High tide on the patch at the River Parrett estuary this morning.

At first there seemed not much about, aside from a great view of the normally elusive lesser whitethroat, which was sitting out at the top of a shrub rattling away in some warming sunshine.

Next was the distinctive call of the whimbrel, and there at the edge of the river were several of these smaller relatives of the curlew, showing off their distinctive eye-stripes and white rumps.

Happy with that, and not expecting much more than the ‘usual suspects’ we were delighted to see a plump and handsome wheatear hopping around the foreshore. After closer inspection and noting its full orange belly and dark eye-mask, we were happy to agree that it was likely to be the Greenland sub-species - the songbird with the longest migration on the planet travelling from South Africa to Greenland. In fairness there is not much in it other than a slightly larger size and more vivid colouring, however we also thought it likely as it was so late in the season - most wheatears will have passed through in March and early April. Yes, definitely a Greenland…

Greenland wheatear

Immediately after patting our backs for increasing our ‘patch-list’ to a very credible 135 different species - Boom! - we get No.136 when we notice a diving little tern off the southern tip of Steart Island. This very slight tern was flitting lightly, dipping and diving into the shallow waters of the high tide, rather than the full-blown plunging dive of an Arctic or common tern.

Nice one. Don’t you just love patch watching?