Good local birding doubled!

4 May - An excellent though unexpected day. Firstly, I headed early to Grimsbury reservoir in north Oxfordshire where a Red-rumped Swallow has been seen for the last couple of days, feeding low over the water with a mixed flock of newly-arrived hirundines. With the current cool northerly winds, the bird was unlikely to move on from a ready source of insects until the weather improved, and so it proved, with excellent views of this vagrant hirundine as it fed up and down the reservoir, giving good views of the distinctive flight pattern and striking buff and orange coloration. Large numbers of House Martins present for comparison with smaller numbers of Swallows and Sand Martins, a few early Swifts, also an obliging Lesser Whitethroat. Most unexpected news mid-afternoon was of a "trip" of 3 Dotterel on the Wilts boundary west of Castle Combe. I got there fairly fast and was treated to excellent views of this rare and beautiful Plover, a denizen of high altitudes and high latitudes - one bird, presumably a female being very brightly marked, together with two slightly duller companions. A real bonus in the evening sunlight, and at fairly close range, and my first in Wiltshire for over 20 years. A very good day!