Nightingales at Fishers Green.

Saturday morning See's us head to the Lea valley, parking in the Bittern hide car park we walk over the bridge & head to the first bench, we have already heard a couple of Nightingale singing & set about finding them.
We see them here every year so more or less know where to look for them , a quick view of one sitting in the middle of a tree makes the trip well worth while & at least four more are heard singing.
We pop into the Bittern hide & get a tick when we at first hear & then get a view of a Reed Warbler.
On Sunday we meet up with Brian & it's off to Kent, first it's a look for the Hoopoe reported on bird guides yesterday, once out of the car we find  out  it is really cold even with our top coats on,so a sit in the car from time to time helps fend off the sharp wind.
The fellow that found the bird turns up & helps us look but it is a no show this time.
Off now to Dungeness for what turns out to be very disappointing with hardly anything about & it's not getting any warmer, we have seen some Whitethroat & about six Whimbrel are also seen for a couple of ticks.
At the reserve entrance I get another tick when I see  Tree Sparrow by the feeders, Brian & Jimmy had already ticked them a few weeks ago.
The pager tells us that 5 Bee-eaters had been seen at Dover, we don't rush as we think we will see a bit more while at Dunge.
That never materialises so belatedly we shoot off to find them, after about five miles the pager tells us they had just flown off, so we abort that trip & go to Elmley instead, no ticks for myself & Jimmy but Brian gets a Yellow Wagtail for a year tick & as I have said before we really like being here.
We have had better days birding but still it gets me 3 more ticks that's 199 so far this year.

At Fishers green

At Elmley

At Dungeness