Morning at Lee Valley

I spent the morning at Lee Valley Country Park (my local patch). 

The morning started well with a singing Blackcap heard and then seen almost as soon as leaving the car. Chiffchaff was quickly added soon after around the overflow car park, and I  saw or heard double figures of this species by mid-day. A pair of Shelduck flew on to one of the small pools on the Goose Fields while I was heading down towards the Grand Weir hide. 

On the way around to Langridge Scrape, I added Rook to my patch list total with 5 birds feeding on the ploughed field around the scrape. After dropping down into the ditch and viewing the scrape from the middle ridge, I bump into Mike Oakland and he like me was searching for the first Little Ringed Plovers of the year,  A Snipe is spotted along the front of one of the islands, but no LPR's. I decide to walk around to the north side and view the scrape from the other side. It turned out to be a good move, as two LRP's were seen at the end of the small island. A first for the year and another patch tick. 
The top field added another patch year tick with two Red-Legged Partridge. The walk back to the car produced two Little Owls, One in the usual spot at the farms and another flying into the trees on the ridge.
A good morning with Five patch year ticks and one year tick added.