Dartford Warbler

Lade - 0900hrs  - warm, dry, sunny, sw 3 - Red-lined Quaker and Turnip were the final moths of season in the garden trap, due to the bulb blowing and colder nights forecast this coming week. With two fishing boats on south lake most of the wildfowl had moved to north lake, but there was little of note apart from a Goldeneye. Around the willow swamp a single Chiffchaff and Greater pecker, plus a Marsh Harrier hunting behind the `mirrors`.

                                Turnip Moth, Lade

                                         Red-line Quaker, Lade

Dungeness - 1330hrs - Crossing the shingle to the fishing boats for a seawatch two Swallows coasted west, but we didn`t stay for long as news of a rare warbler at Galloways came through. However, a quick chat with TG confirmed that the Pomarine Skua count had already passed the 30 mark.
Galloways - Joined a small group of locals by the double bend staring into a patch of gorse. After 30 minutes or so up it came, a cracking male Dartford Warbler, that then proceeded to show intermittently over the following half an hour. This is the first one locally for several years since their decline during the winter of three ago, and much appreciated it was too. Also hereabouts four Stonechats, Robin and Mipit. A Short-eared Owl had been seen earlier, plus a flyover Snow Bunting (NB).
Burrowes - Called it to the bird reserve on the way home where a Long-tailed Duck was at the Scott hide end of Burrowes along with two Black-necked Grebes and a Goldeneye. The islands in front of Makepeace hide yielded 10 Dunlins and six Snipe amongst the Lapwings, Goldies, gulls and ducks, while the willows attracted three Little Egrets within scores of roosting Cormorants, plus Cattle and Great White Egret.