Mist it!

It's just been one of those days in Beds today. The promise was good, with hanging showers and heavy overcast conditions all day in eastern England. And by-golly was it good!

I was up way before dawn and down at Broom just on day-break. Unfortunately, unlike yesterday morning, Broom was dead. Everything from yesterday had cleared out and it was just two Goldeneye that were new in. Soon after 6am I'd started getting news from Stewartby. Martin Green was also up and checking his local patch. Two fabulous Black-necked Grebes were first on the menu, quickly followed up by a drake Red-breasted Merganser, a Sandwich Tern and three Arctic Terns! RIB had also found two more RB Mergs at Harrold, and Neil had found two more at Brogborough Lake, along with three more Arcitc Terns! This was getting silly.

However, I cracked big-style when I got wind of a bloody Arctic Skua flying around over Stewartby, then chasing a Kittiwake!

Just over twenty minutes later I was at the sailing club end of Stewartby lake not seeing the Skua. I had missed it by seconds - oh arse-tits! The Kitti, two Bn Grebes, and a spanking Mergnaser did little to lift my spirits! Well, at least for a short while anyway.

Black-necked Grebes at Stewartby

I decided to have a look at some other pits in the valley, but RIB (who also just dipped the Skua) beat me to the goodies - he'd found the three Arctic Terns and the Sarnie, which had apparently been chased away by the Skua, up at Chimney Corner North. I arrived a few minutes later, and RIB pulled a sum plum Black-tailed Godwit from under my nose, while I was watching the terns. Gurn also turned up on the far bank, and while I was videoing the Sarnie on the deck we all simultaneously realised there were two Sarnies sitting together! Bonus!

Sandwich Tern at Stewartby

Went back to Stewartby, no change there, but the Grebes and Merg were posing nicely for photos. Picked up Mr Stewartby-Green, then on to Broggy to look for the Mergs there. No sign of them, so up to Neils for a cuppa. A lovely warm mug of tea later and we were on the road again to MVCP. Dropped Mr Stewartby-Green off, but not before feasting on the pair of Garganey on the long meadow pool. Then headed home for a spot of lunch and to pick Carrie up.

Red-breasted Merganser at Stewartby

We were back out again by 2pm, but we were too late to get the Osprey which had just flown over Stewartby Lake. Got to Chimney Corner again, and saw the pair of Mergs that had dropped in there (presumably the missing pair from Broggy), and the Arctic Terns still, and picked up a bonus Greenshank with the Blackwit on the far side. While we were here Roy called up to say he'd had a White Stork fly over his car just a little way down the road. We went looking in the fields and near-by pits, but to no avail. We ended up back at Stewartby where the two Sandwich Terns were back again, and we took in the rediculously tame Grebes again. The Merg had departed though.

A roast dinner was calling so we headed home late afternoon well and truly knackered!

Arctic Terns at Chimney Corner North