Blakehill

4 May - A productive mid-morning visit to Blakehill in cloudy but warm conditions. 2 Curlews were feeding in the long grass fairly close to the central track, but took flight at a distance.

3 Whinchats (including a bright male) and 4 Wheatears (including a long-legged, large Greenland bird) were feeding along the fence line.

Best of all, a migrant Whimbrel was feeding in the field near the seat, and allowed a fairly close approach - more compact and shorter-billed than the Curlews, with an obvious eye stripe, and a good comparison between the 2 species. A distant Cuckoo heard twice, calling from the direction of Braydon forest.