Bank Holiday MayDay catchup

On Saturday 29th April at Carlton MarshesI saw Rob, Andrew and Matt at the car park, hearing a Cuckoo I walked around the Whitecast marsh path and saw the bird perched in the bare branched tree. A Sedge Warbler showed reasonably well on a bramble nearby. At the scrape, I saw 1 male Garganey on the west side of the scrape plus a family of 5 Lapwing, 2 adults and 3 tiny chicks. Other Lapwing were nesting on the scrape. On April 30th at Ormesby Broad viewing from the bridge with Ricky we saw 5 Black Tern with dark soot black plumage white under the tail they flew low over the water with their typically bouncy marsh tern flight. Also 6 Arctic Tern, flying around with them, smaller more compact with long tail streamers very white underwings with only a thin black line of the trailing edge of the primaries great to see these birds. Great birds to see. 4 Common Tern, larger with a black wedge on the primaries flew much neater the bridge and ebeven flew over the road towards Ormesby Little broad. + fem Mandarin & Cinnamon X BW Teal male hybrid Rollesby broad. On May 1st at Carlton Marshes I saw 3 Bar- tailed Godwits seen standing in a line, with 2 in full summer plumage whilst the one of the far right was still penned in winter plumage. I saw Paul, Jane F, James B and Paul W other the far southern side of the scrape. As I walked over the field to join them, I heard 2 Swifts screaming overhead and promptly saw my earliest ever Swifts flying right above me. I also saw 2 Little Ringed Plover, 3 Dunlin and and really pleased to see not 1 but 2 Wood Sandpipers on the scrape. I also heard 7 Grasshopper warblers around the reserve.