Arrivals and Departures

Having recently flown back home from warmer climes, we were keen to check out the 'Arrivals and Departure' board at nearby Branton Ponds for ourselves. Over on the East Pond there's barely room to take off from the little island where the smartly garbed black-headed gulls are gathering to breed. What a cacophony of sound they make!
 Further round it was good to hear the chiffchaffs  still announcing their recent arrival, and the Great-crested Grebes were indulging in a little courtship display over on the West Pond. However, the Whooper Swans (mentioned below on 11th March) appear as if they have yet to depart to Iceland; or is Branton used as a staging post for successive herds of swans to overnight? Whatever- they looked splendid in the morning sunlight.............