I wonder if the word baleful is used in any other context these days other than to describe the facial expression of Stone Curlew. Anyway, here's two fun lovin' SC gambolling about the sandstrip like gleeful newborn lambs.

While I’m on- I’ve been off the paints and enjoying other peoples’ words lately- here’s WB Nichols writing on Hooded Crows here on the Stour estuary 1917 and you can’t help thinking what lovely social media posts the old stuff would have made hundred years on.

About another week to go for the godwits. We are at the moultpoint where the Spotred is so black it doesn't make any difference if you are photo'ing it against the light.

Classic godwit departure tonight- birds super-excited, jumping and flapping to get flight muscles warmed up, then take off + up and away high north-west inland, maybe non-stop to Iceland

Lovely thing down in the marsh tonight- spectrum of colours flashing in a spider's web as the spider scampered about the middle

Good week for dark spots against blue water - on the left Knot cruising in to the roost in west Iceland then on return to the mighty Stour, 510 Dark-bellied Brent are still here on the weed.

Always liberating to chuck a not-working-out paint off the easel and start something else. Meant to be Pied Wags skidding round some evening backlit gulls on ice in Feb, but the ice doesn't look like ice and the gulls look more oiled than backlit so👎 and on we go...#birdart

A bit quiet round here on the birding front but the Jackdaws have just fledged a white un out of the back of my shed

I thought y’all would be excited to get an update. Fledgie 1 lasted <24 hours and was nobbled by a Tawny Owl before it could even get itself into the Buzzard zone. Fledgie 2 is a lot nimbler so fleeting photos, but it does have a white eyebrow like a Siberian Thrush.

Its that tricky week when there don't seem to be any waders going north or south, so attention wanders to other things. Here's a grebeling at Ardleigh with a heart-shaped red spot on its forehead.

Tempting to think that all gulls are rampant everywhere, but GBBG is still staying classy- as far as i can tell there's none pairs in Essex, just a couple in Suffolk inc. this one which escorted me off the premises whilst I was trying to count the early season Curlew.

Shame you can't paint sounds- had a Peregrine follow me across a field and who00osh straight over my shoulder trying to take a Skylark.

A bit of late season chickery down on the roost- Redshanks hatched in last week, so after the first godwits are back. The gatepost has been there since at least 1900 so has hosted more than 125 years of yelping Redshanks.

There's consequences to having GBBG on the river- but hats off to this Shelduck who has successfully defended seven chicks for a week without loss despite daily check ups from the beast.

Some weather at last! Not enough rain to lay the dust, but four inbound Knot plopped in and hauled out behind the Co-op.

Been doing a bit of long overdue taxonomy catch-up. I've got my head around divers no longer being at the front of the bird book, but cuckoos between bustards and sandgrouse is going to take a bit of getting used to.

Just to confirm that the young GBBG is now the size of small donkey.

Air defence systems still active this week.

Plovers scuttling about on the baked crust of the salting this evening- here's lumpen juv Ringed Plover versus elfin juv Little Ringed Plover

First few juv Knot coming through here- must be bloody irritating to make it 4,000Km from Ellesmere Island and then have a Manila clam (I guess) clamp onto your hind toe when you land.