Viz Mig Lade

Lade - 0645hrs - mild, overcast, sw 2 - From the aerial mound a pretty decent one hour viz mig with hundreds of hirundines streaming south down the coast comprising mainly Swallows. A trickle of passerines overhead tallied: 3 Skylarks, 210 Meadow Pipits, one Grey Wagtail, 15 Yellow Wagtails, 8 Pied Wagtails, 4 Blackbirds, 2 Song Thrushes, 10 Chaffinches, 14 Goldfinches, 25 Siskins, 40 Linnets, 2 Redpolls, 5 Reed Buntings and, best of all, a Yellowhammer, only my second record in almost 10 years watching this site. After the first hour it ground to a halt as though a tap had been turned off, which led me to wonder just what had passed over our cottage during the night...

                                Brent Geese, Dungeness

                               Down the hatch

Dungeness  - 1400-1530hrs - A seawatch in company with PB from the boats this afternoon was entertaining for up to 10 Arctic Skuas harrying a steady flow of Sandwich Terns. A trickle of Gannets passed further out, plus 2 Common Scoters, a Common Tern, a Kittiwake and my first autumn flock of Brent Geese at around 70 birds migrating down-Channel. A few pulses of Swallows headed out to sea and at least half a dozen Harbour Porpoises were noted just offshore.