Farlington Marshes, 12/05/25

I was dropped off at Farlington around 14:15, ready for a good look around the place, to see what was about. By the car park entrance, a few Whitethroats and Greenfinch were about, along with a few Goldfinch and a calling Chiffchaff.

Towards the reedbeds, a couple of Linnets were about, and I could hear quite a few Reed Warblers. 

At the pond, there were quite a few Avocets and Shelduck, and a Grey Heron flew past.

Nothing else seemed to be around here, so I went off towards the hut via the stream, to see if the Collared Pratincole that had been there yesterday would surface again. A Pied Wagtail was on the mud, and large numbers of Swifts and Swallows were about, as were a few Barwits and Blackwits, and a Pheasant was calling from behind me. 

A Little Grebe was fishing near the reeds, and a Lesser Black-backed Gull flew in.

A Raven was perched on a fence post behind some reeds, annoyingly positioned so I couldn't get a photo. As I headed along the path further towards the visitor hut, a Skylark flew overhead, and there was a Lapwing on the mud, looking good in the sun.

Seeing as nothing seemed to be around here, I headed off along the path towards the deeps, seeing a few Reed Buntings and Dunnock along the way. 

    At the deeps, a Spoonbill was resting on one of the islands, quite close to the path. 

It woke up, stretched, then went straight back to sleep. 

There was a slightly better view of it around the bend of the path, allowing for some interesting habitat shots.

Finally, it woke up for a bit longer, allowing for some more usual photos. 

Reluctantly, I had to move on, as time was fast disappearing. A Cetti's Warbler called from the reeds along the stream, but wouldn't show. Nothing other than a few Meadow Pipits and Skylarks were on the path through the bushes, and a few Oystercatchers were on the grass past the small ditch. 

A Gadwall was on the small bit of water before the large pond, and a Kestrel was hovering overhead.

I had another quick look around the stream by the visitor hut to see if the Pratincole would surface, but sadly it didn't, so I headed off. 

Although the Pratincole had seemingly disappeared, it had been a really nice afternoon, and seeing the Spoonbill was very cool (as always!)