A "fall" of Buntings this morning. Slight exaggeration but a single Yellowhammer went south then hit the murk over the river then came back into the observatory before departing to the north & a female Reed Bunting was in the bushes out the back. Both species are among the first migrants to appear in the spring, usually from right at the end of February onward, but these days Yellowhammer are so scarce here we barely record any at all. A Lapwing on the reserve could either be a bird moving back to its breeding ground or one that has seen the weather forecast for next week and is moving to fairer climes. Finally 354 Cormorants went out fishing early on and both the Purple Sands & the Rock Pipit were along the river bank on the rising tide this afternoon.