The showery weather continues, although I think I'll still have to put some more water onto the Flood. I went out this evening to check on one of the cows out there. It was OK, but some of the pools are looking low, despite the rain. But the shallow water is what the avocets love and i counted a minimum of 80 chicks on the pools running out from Southfleet hide. + a few at Wellmarsh & Counterwall & elsewhere on the reserve. So the avocet picture is looking pretty rosy. As is the redshank story - at one point on the flood, I suspect that a stoat was around, as there was a cloud of alarming redshank following something in the grass. I counted at least 30!
Passage waders today included a greenshank, 3 dunlin, 35 turnstone & 110 black-tailed godwit on the Flood + 30 or so grey plover out on the Swale. Raptors included buzzard & barn owl. Still a few Med gulls around and the swallows in the porch of the ladies loos have hatched a brood of chicks.