Tuesday 30 August 2011

Cattle Egret

Lade - 0700hrs - mild, cloudy, nw2 - It was one of those rare (at least down here) mornings when nothing seemed to be on the move; no martins, wagtails, warblers or chats could I find over the back in an hour. The moth trap however was much more profitable with 26 species and large numbers of Flounced Rustics, the first Grass Emeralds and Straw Dot for a while, White-point and Silver Y. The Obs hit the jackpot though with the first Dungeness record of Beautiful Marbled, a vagrant noctuid from the Continent.
Boulderwall - 1600hrs - Finally caught up with the Cattle Egret this afternoon after several attempts over the past fortnight. It was distant, and typically feeding amongst livestock, but even at range the stocky, thick-necked jizz, steep forehead and yellow bill could be seen. Been a bit of mystery this bird as it regularly seems to do a disappearing act for several days at a time.
A good day to be on the bird reserve with a wide selection of waders on offer including, Spot Shank, Blackwit, Ruff, Knot, Snipe and Little Stint. Also, (the two old favourites) Goosander and GWEgret, 4 Black Terns, 2 Little Gulls, Kingfisher and Hobby. The Glaucous Gull remained at Dungeness boats.

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