Caspian Gulls

Cloudy, mild, drizzle, SW 3 - After a weekend taken up with family business it was good to get out and about today with Ted. We started at Lade for the WeBS count where four Goldeneyes were the highlights amongst low numbers of common ducks, grebes and Coots. A brief seawatch from the boats delivered a trickle of passing/feeding Kittiwakes, Gannets and auks but little else. Moving onto the bird reserve where from the water tower I watched a pair of Peregrines stooping in tandem at a Black-headed Gull out over the Desert. The larger bird (presumably a female) seemed to be doing most of the damage as clouds of feathers exploded from the gull; eventually it flopped onto the shingle and became breakfast for the falcons. From Hanson hide the usual wildfowl noted, plus several each of Great White Egret and Marsh Harrier, a perched Kingfisher, calling Water Rail and Cetti`s Warbler and a Goldeneye and Sparrowhawk from Screen hide. Over the road at Dennis`s hide I joined Martin and Richard who were busily counting double figures of Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls amongst the more numerous Greater and Lesser-black Backed Gulls. We finished up at Littlestone Green for waders on the bay which included several Grey Plovers, Barwits and Redshanks, although still no Ringed Plovers.

                                  Adult Caspian Gull - Burrowes

                                 3rd winter Yellow-legged Gull - Burrowes

                                  Both together

                                  View from Hanson hide

    Kingfisher - ARC (through glass)

Swans and Geese

Cold, cloudy, wet, SE4 - This past week has been dominated by the weather and trying to avoid the bands of rain and brisk winds sweeping in off the Atlantic. The farmland around New Romney, Lade, Pirate Springs, Littlestone, Scotney and the reserve have all been visited a couple of times each. The highlights have been several each of Bewick`s Swans (five today) and White-fronted Geese on the fields between Lydd and Horsebones Farm and at the back of the old sand pit amongst hundreds of feral Greylags, Canada and Egyptian Geese and Mute Swans, plus two Black-necked Grebes and an immature Scaup on the main Scotney roadside lake. The expected raptors, gulls (inc Yellow-legged and Caspian Gulls) egrets and wildfowl have been noted on the reserve with ARC being the best spot for Great White Egrets and Bittern sightings, plus up to five Goldeneyes on Lade pits. At low tide eight species of waders and a laggard Sandwich Tern were logged from Littlestone Green last weekend. The Boulderwall Fields re-wetting project is coming on apace with the anti-predator fencing now being installed; next spring should not only benefit breeding Lapwings and Redshanks but also, hopefully, lure in a few passage waders...

                                  View over Tanners Pool

                                  View over Cooks Pool

                                  Anti-predator fencing

    Ted - Pirate Springs

Bewick`s Swan

Scotney - mild, dry and cloudy, light airs - Having been off the Marsh for most of this week it was good to spend the morning with Ted birding the fields behind the old sand pit before checking the front sward and lakes back towards Lydd. The spectacle was provided by several thousand each of Lapwings and Golden Plovers swirling overhead and nervously feeding amongst the winter cereal trying to avoid the attention of a hunting Peregrine. A single Bewick`s Swan was noted on a distant rape-seed field along with several Mute Swans, hundreds of feral Greylag, Canada, Barnacle and Egyptian Geese, two Buzzards and a Kestrel. Weedy field margins attracted a few passerines including 100 Skylarks, 20 Linnets, 20 Tree Sparrows, 15 Stonechats and a several Meadow Pipits, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Reed Buntings and a Snipe. The lakes held a variety of wintering Pochard, Teal, Tufted Duck and Wigeon, plus Green Sandpiper, Redshank and Curlew, while the roadside lakes were quieter but did include the long-staying Black-necked Grebe.

                                  Buzzard and Lapwings

                                 Wigeon

                                  Lapwings

                                  Black-necked Grebe 

Dartford Warbler

Lade - cold, cloudy, N 3 showers - Since my last post on Tuesday an Arctic airflow has made its presence felt bringing a proper taste of winter to the Marsh landscape with overnight frosts and sleety rain this morning. A circuit of the local patch today produced a Dartford Warbler in the gorse by the badger sett, otherwise it was typical winter fare with small numbers of diving ducks (including Goldeneye), grebes and Coots on the water, vocalising Water Rails in the willow swamp, a couple of Kingfishers zipping over the lakes, plus hunting Marsh Harrier and Buzzard. On Wednesday a guided walk around the circular trail on the reserve for seven guests went ahead despite the appalling weather (driving wind and rain) conditions. However, somehow they enjoyed several close encounters with Marsh Harriers and Great White Egrets, plus a Dunlin from Firth and all the usual wildfowl, grebes and gulls scattered across the wetlands.

                             

                                 Lade desert looking south to Dungeness

                                  South lake raft

                                  Ted seems impervious to the cold!

                                 Rainbow over north lake

Goldeneyes

Lade - cold, cloudy, light airs - This morning saw the first grass frost of the season thick on the ground, but it didn`t last for long once the cloud cover rolled in; still, nice and cold though, as it should be at this time of year. We carried out a full circuit of the local patch including the rough grassland out back where a few grounded Blackbirds and Skylarks were present along with two ever-watchful Buzzards. South lake had a scattering of ducks, mostly Pochard and Tufted Duck, plus four Goldeneyes but Shovelers were down to just 20. Whilst scanning from the bridge a Crossbill hurtled over calling unseen heading north. There was little of note around the ponds while north lake held a few common wildfowl and gulls. The walk back along the foreshore on a falling tide revealed the usual hundreds of Oystercatchers, Curlews and Dunlins (c300) plus 50 Knots, 10 Grey Plovers and five Bar-tailed Godwits.

                                  Goldeneyes - south lake

                                  Lade Bay waders

                                  Oystercatcher and Grey Plovers - Lade Bay

                                  Dunlins - Lade Bay

Grey Ghost

Dengemarsh Gully - mild, cloudy, drizzle, NE2 - The last of the mild days, apparently, before a cold, northerly airflow sweeps down from the Arctic tomorrow. However, we walked the gully first thing where the majority of birds were in the section between Springfield bridge and the start of the track comprising a handful each of Robin, Blackbird, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Chaffinch and a Cetti`s Warbler. The middle section was barren and the only other grounded passerines were two Meadow Pipits and a Stonechat at the seaward end, plus a Raven over. The reserve was equally quiet (only four cars in the main car park with the VC closed) with just the usual wetland birds from the bridge and Dennis`s lookout, plus a Firecrest and Chiffchaff in the scrub by the hide and at least two Caspian Gulls on Burrowes. Nothing much else to report at Lade apart from two Goldeneyes on south lake.

                                  Blackbird - Dengemarsh Gully

                                  Revamped Hanson hide - ARC

                                  Yellowhammer - Hope Lane, NR

This afternoon I joined Chris for the monthly harrier count out on Walland Marsh where 15 Marsh Harriers came to roost in the main reed-bed, plus stunning views of a male Hen Harrier that passed over our viewpoint heading to roost elsewhere. Also noted: 26 Cattle Egrets (the highest number I`ve ever seen in the UK), three Great White and a Little Egret, two Buzzards, two Kestrels, a Snipe, several thousand Starlings and a large, distant mixed flock of Lapwings and Golden Plovers.  

    Ted - he does love a puddle!

Pallas`s Warbler

Dengemarsh Gully - Mild, cloudy, SW2 - We started the day with a Ted walk from Springfield Bridge to Pen Bars and back along the gully where for the most part it was slim pickings. Two each of Redwing and Black Redstart at either end were the highlights along with numerous Robins and Goldfinches plus a handful each of Stonechat, Linnet, Dunnock, Blackbird, Great Tit, Chiffchaff, a Cetti`s Warbler and a Goldcrest. A scan from the bridge yielded little of note apart from the usual wildfowl, gulls, egrets and harriers. Moving onto the local patch where a duck and drake Goldeneye were on south lake plus a `redhead` on north lake; otherwise it was quiet with just a lone Chiffchaff and a couple of Blackbirds by the ponds. As news came through that last weekends Pallas`s Warbler was still present in the moat we nipped back to Dungeness and joined Dave Scott where we had brief views of the stripy sprite as it skulked low down in a net ride. 

                                  Black Redstarts - Dengemarsh Gully