Breyodn rates, 1st Wheatear & evening visit to Carlton Marshes

On Sunday 9th April, news of an American Wigeon on Breydon had me popping over there and scanning from just past the hide, looking over the other side a very distant male American Wigeon was seen. After a while it flew much closer and swam even closer in the company of around 30 Wigeon. Whilst we were looking at it Steve ? found a male Kentish Plover running on a muddy spit, two great Breydon birds! Monday 10th April, a female Wheatear seen in the fenced off area at the Caravan park N.Denes this evening plus I couldn't fail to notice a big pile rubbish dumped in the weedy area north of Bird's Eye = Travellers still present. On On Friday 13th April, a walk around a cold and leaden sky at Carlton marshes the mood was lifted immediately with 2 Swallows flying over the field to the south of the car park and a Sedge Warbler showing well in a bare bush at the edge of the reeds along the path running parallel with Spratts water (around 8 heard in all) and a Willow Warbler showing and singing (around 5 heard in all) from the top right of a tree nearby. As I walked down to the scrape, half way down an excellent Short- eared Owl flew low over the path around 100 yards ahead and we saw it flying around the fields to the west and south of the scrape for the duration of my visit. I joined Chris M and he said he hadn't seen the LRP but I was lucky and picked it up straight away, a fine Little Ringed Plover and pointed it out to Chris. 5 Shovelor, 3 Gadwall, nesting Lapwing, the odd Snipe were also seen on the scrape, plus 3 overflying Swallows. As we walked back, just before dusk we saw 3 very suspicious looking youths loitering 1/3 of the way down the main path one lit a cigarette (hopefully not arsonists or junkies) and then taking the path to Whitecast Marshes then they came back 10 minutes later finally they took the path to Spratts water, past the turnstile they then ran into the bushes just to the west of the long straight path. Chris called the Police on 101.