This morning I decided to take an early morning visit to the Stour Valley with Guy Bailey, which made for a good day out and lots of summer visitors to see. By 0700 we were topping up the Grove Ferry cash gobbling parking machine and making our way down to the deserted viewing ramp, home to Martyn Wilson who was already out and about skulking above the reeds (he's very tall) . A Garden Warbler sand invisibly from the car park whilst Turtle Doves joined the invisible gang in the nearby trees. A few hours wandering about on the fantastic dry paths along the river and back to Harrison's hide allowed us to notch up a fair number of species. A pair of Garganey and 3 Greenshank were on the water meadows by the river, a few Hobbies eventually got up and about above the reeds whilst Cormorants constantly flew overhead in the stratosphere, home of many a a Stork and raptor though not today!
Cetti's put on a good show as did the new hide near the viewing mound with it's clear view of a few metres of reed bed and a narrow channel of water ?
Next stop Preston Court where more Hobbies were seen together with House Martins collecting mud for nesting in a wonderful oldy Wordly setting of traction engines and the cracking St Mildred's Church.
Collards's produced the expected gathering of 11 Hobby, though a long way to go yet to get to the dizzy heights of 60 plus birds that have gathered here some years.
Finally Stodmarsh with cracking views of Garden Warbler, a curious Nightingale and year tick views of Stodders stalwart David Feast who first started in the valley in 1967, when I was a mere 1 years old with only Turkey, Chicken, Budgie and Goose on my list!! (thing's haven't changed much) !
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