First singing Chiffchaff

Lade - 0900hrs - Following a night of clear skies and light airs we awoke to only our third frost since last November, albeit a light one and nowhere near cold enough to freeze the garden pond. Otherwise it was a superb day throughout with warm sunshine enticing bumble bees, small tortoiseshells and myriads of small flying insects onto the wing. We worked our way along Mockmill Sewer where Barney flushed a Common Snipe and a Water Rail from cover and a party of five Linnets over were the first of the year. Several Reed Buntings were in song, while Song Thrush, Blackbird and Great Tit were also noted. On south lake an influx of 12 Goldeneyes was of note and the Slavonian Grebe remained on north lake where it continues to attract a steady flow of visiting birders. In the willow swamp a singing Chiffchaff was the first of the year and two Black Redstarts were on the southern fenceline of the caravan park.

                                Flying insects, Lade

                                Turnstone, Dungeness

Dungeness -   1430hrs - From the fishing boats a large flock of several hundred Great Crested Grebes and Cormorants were feeding offshore along with at least 25 Red-throated Divers amid the usual melee of gulls, including a few Kittiwakes. The Glaucous Gull was present earlier, as was the Hume`s Leaf Warbler in the trapping area (per DW).