As I had an RE GCSE on the 16th May I didn't really go walking other than occasional walks at the mini-patch Little Woodcote, where Black Redstarts had been seen but I only saw things like Garden Warbler, Linnet and a single fly-through Yellow Wagtail. The day after the exam I had a Geography field trip to Herne Bay in Kent. The journey was quiet and upon arrival the seafront yielded nothing except a lot of Herring and LB Gulls. As we started walking along the coastline to learn about the coastal defences etc. a few Black-headed gulls flew along the coast as did other common coastal birds like Cormorants. Nothing to get my bird pressure going! After passing a few Groynes and noting their use I also noted their birding use as a Black Redstart began flying between them (near Hampton.) I was pleased at finding it and was about to pull the camera trigger on it when a student thought pushing the weirdo would be funny. It was frustrating to say the least. Moving on to the spit, where we were to conduct our actual practical work, I only had a few minutes to see what was around. A Whitethroat sang briefly, and there seemed to be breeding Kestrel. Later on, once I'd packed my camera away typically to stop myself getting distracted, a group of 4 Med Gulls flew East along the coast and my first ever Little gulls - both 2nd summers - fished just offshore while I scrambled for the camera then disappeared.
The afternoon went by quickly, and after completing the practical work we departed the area to go back to school. A single Oystercatcher was the final bird to be seen, on top of many butterflies.
With my exams mostly finished for me it was a time to relax from work and focus on my cricket for the summer. A Cormorant added to the garden list as it flew over one evening, and our Swifts returned as well. My first ever Grizzled Skipper butterfly flew through my school field one afternoon as well. So birding continues on...
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