Stilts and warblers

Midweek temptation was just too much so I wandered down the Cuckmere on Wednesday evening to take in the rather obliging Black-winged Stilt (above), a species the levels are well suited for but I have yet to taste there! Good to catch up with Les Bird and Bob Self and had a dose of scope envy with the latters very impressive Kowa looking at a 1st cy Glaucous Gull near the visitors centre on near enough 100x magnification.
Moth trapping overnight on 28th produced Early Thorn and Clouded Drab, the latter a scarcity in the garden, and on the 29th Hebrew Character, 2 Small Quaker (pictured below), 8 Common Quaker, Early Grey, 3 Double-striped Pug, LBAM, & 3 Common Plume.
Thursday evening (30th) back on the levels produced a stunning close Short-eared Owl over White Dyke but still no "true" summer migrants. So to today and a chance to carry out my first Cettis' warbler survey of the year on Horse-eye - 5 territories identified including a nice intersection with 3 singing males. Not a lot else to report other than a single Snipe, 4 Shoveler, and 2 Teal on Down, until Mike Mullis texted me he had had a Reed Warbler Rickney side. A quick stop at Horse-eye Green on the way round the back yielded my first proper summer migrant - not one but two Reed Warblers singing from the Reed bed and a cracking Sedge Warbler belting it out from the top of a bramble. Summer is almost here....