Arrived to thick fog, though just up the road it was pretty clear. Met up with Nick and we hung around until it started to clear at about 9am. Though we searched the area all over we could not locate a single spring migrant. I personally have failed to record a spring migrant at the site so far, ( Chiffchaff is the only one recorded as yet), and by this time I have usually 3-4 spring migrants on the list. LRP,s and Sand Martins are about a week late. This could be due to the high pressure that is sitting across the east and south east of the country at the moment. Banks of fog are present in the North Sea and the English Channel and the winds are north easterly. This mainly static air could prevent bird movement from a southerly direction, or perhaps the migrants are just avoiding the site like the rich avoid paying their taxes. I mean what sort of country rewards people for dodging their taxes. Do they really think those sort of people are going to cough up because the rate is 45p and not 50p, completely crazy. There would be an outcry if people claiming welfare benefits were given more money to encourage some of them not cheat the system. George Osborne is as stuck up as his wallpapers.
Anyway back to birding, what there was of it. When the fog lifted on the Thames I spied a duck on the far side of the river which turned out to be a Pochard, the first record this year and our first ever record from the Thames. We then had skywatch which yielded nothing. There were at least three Chaffinches singing though we have never clinched a breeding record. At about 11am a hoard of punters came into the dock more equipped for Clacton Beach than a visit to a Nature Reserve, it was time to leave.
Agreed about George Osborne. As for migrants, across the river I'm still waiting for Wheatear etc, but usually they aren't seen until early April. The numerous running clubs and dog walkers usually put paid to weekend wildlife-watching after about 8 am!
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