The weather was on the turn and so I thought it was an ideal opportunity to do a bit of birding at Grimsbury Reservoir before work. I arrived just after 7.00am and found the water to be enveloped by a fog. On the pontoon there were five common sandpiper but no hirundines on the reservoir, or across the cattle field.
I decided on a circuit, passing Ewan Urquhart (@Stormvogel99) as he sat on the bench. Families of grey wagtail fed their young on the eastern edge and birdsong was prolific. As I started my second circuit I could see there were now six common sandpipers on the pontoon.
At about 7.35am, four swallows appeared and I prayed that this was the start of an influx, which would contain the red-dumped swallow. Sure enough, not 10 minutes later, there it was. Ewan, myself, and two visitors (one heading to Straford, the other to Froome) 
watched as the swallows and sand martins began hunting and eventually perching on the perimeter fence.
As they spooked and headed out onto the water, we saw @987jonty coming round the corner and he was suddenly interested in something, drawing out his camera - we joined him and found it to be a whinchat. We all decided to follow it round the reservoir as it eventually crossed to the eastern bank.
As we reached the landing point we could hear and then see some garden warbler, then had a fly past from a single hobby. At least two families of grey wagtail fed on the bank and on the river.
As we left, four common sandpipers rose from around the bridge.
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