Christine's walking & birds blog

Dorney

I woke early and couldn't get back to sleep; and when I peeped through the curtain and saw what a gorgeous clear morning it was, I headed for the flood. Scarves of cool white mist hung across the common while a low, orange sun promised (falsely as it turned out) warmth later.

This is the "far end" of the flood; what looked like frost on the grass seemed to be flat spiders' webs sparkling with dew. I kept trying to count the snipe but they were widely scattered, and there's nowhere from the river path you can see the whole flood. Anyway, at least nineteen. And I say "flood" but it's little more now than a large muddy puddle.

A common sandpiper was at the weir, picking about on one of the yellow floats before flying down to the concrete shoring. A grey wagtail was also present.

At least three yellow wagtails and two whinchats were near the cattle; there was possibly a wheatear there as well but I couldn't get very close. As it was I set the whole lot of calves mooing while their protective mothers unnerved me with their inscrutable stares. One whinchat perched handily in the swallow tree.