A lively morning - 200 lapwing at Starmans Hall, more further upstream. Parties of golden plover (largest 400) high overhead. Snipe everywhere - must be 500-1000 across the site. 70+ teal, 10 shoveler, 10 mallard. Water rail heard, also a Cetti's was singing every 5-10 minutes at about 10 o'clock from the hide. A 20 minute wait in the hide was rewarded by a ringtail hen harrier chasing about 200 snipe right past.
Walking back along the track I could see a female marsh harrier perched on a blackthorn bush below Corseside Nursery (the farmhouse with yellow walls on the N slope, upstream of the hide). She flew, and proceeded to mob the hen harrier before they both went to ground.
Paul G arrived at this point - after a wait the hen harrier took to the air again, and made another pass in front of the hide (we were watching from the track). Sparrowhawk and buzzard made it 4 raptors....I had to leave, hopefully Paul saw lots more.....
