Report from Roger Lane. (21st March 2010)

" I had a day of mixed fortunes today with a couple of goodies. But despite all morning in intermittent sun at Pontsmill, not one butterfly, again ! The worst March I've known. So, I've listed a few birds again !
Sun.21stMar'2010: Pontsmill yielded the following: 5 x Buzzards; 1 x Sp.Hawk; 1 x Kestrel; 2 x Ravens; 1 x Nuthatch and 1 x Dipper.. Next was St.Aust.Sew.Wks (Manoa) which was quiet and I saw just 1 x Goldcrest; 2 x L.T.Tits but the"smart chiff-chaff" I was admiring turned out to have long wings and tail, and Pink legs, making it my first WILLOW WARBLER for the year !
The afternoon I spent at Par, again ! At PBPool the only 'unusual' items were 15+, L.B.B.Gulls on the water and a flock of 15 more coming from inland Otherwise a count of 30+ Moorhens indicated not all the overwinterers have not yet moved on (winter peak was 45+). At Par Bay the tide was well out and again there were 20+ L.B.B.Gulls, otherwise only 1 x Redshank, probably a migrant rather than one of our overwinterers.
Otherwise, two gull-like sea-birds resting on a far out rock. I though I knew what they were but had to wait half-hour before a real gull put them to flight. These were 2 x SANDWICH TERNS, my first for the year !
But no hirundines today (apparently), the S/SW winds helping to move any such N/NE."

Thanks for the report Roger.
You most certainly had the best of the day.
Unfortunately we had to go home after St Andrews (Dogwatch) but Derek and Sam did continue so maybe they salvaged something out of the day.