REWSALLS RING OUZEL

The oil-seed rape crop is at its peak at the moment, here bright yellow flowers in the morning sunshine looking towards Rewsalls Farm on Monday 27th.

A male ring ouzel was found in the hedgerow at the back of the Rewsalls marshes by Martin Cock but sadly the bird didn't seem to hang around for long and seemed to have gone to cover by the time I got to the area, less than an hour later.

Other birds in the Rewsalls area included 3 wheatears, common sandpiper, 12 shelduck, 15 curlew, two kestrels, reed bunting, 3 whitethroats, lesser whitethroat, mistle thrush, pair of stock doves and a couple of swallows.

The previous day there was the good count of eight wheatears on the Rewsalls marshes, made by Steve Entwistle.

Enjoying the morning sunshine alongside the Coopers Beach caravan site was this singing male greenfinch.

Also on Monday three swifts were seen flying over Andy Field's house in High Street North, the first report of any on the Island so far this spring.
Later in the day a cuckoo was seen on a bush at the bottom of the Strood Hill, near the reservoirs.

Waited till late afternoon on Sunday 26th when the weather had brightened up, before venturing along the Strood seawall. Three sedge warblers were singing from the dyke, a yellow wagtail flew over calling, five house martins and 12 swallows flew around the reservoirs at the bottom of Strood Hill while a cuckoo called very briefly.

Two male marsh harriers were seen quartering land over on Feldy and also on Ray Island, six whimbrel flew around the Channel calling while four common terns hawked around the moorings.

At Maydays on Friday morning Martin Cock saw 2 sedge warblers, 3 reed warblers, 2 yellow wagtails, 5 greenshank five house martins and a pair of Mediterranean gulls.

Two pairs of avocets were on the saltmarsh pools near the Golfhouse on Saturday 25th and later one was seen in the grazing fields. A cuckoo was calling near the Golfhouse but couldn't be seen.