Dungeness - mild, misty, drizzle, NW2 - After walking the local farmland over the weekend and not seeing very much at all, a change of scene was in order, despite grotty weather conditions. However, we walked a circular route along the foreshore from the lifeboat station to the seawatch hide, around the trapping area, which was still widely flooded, and back across the desert where we flushed a Common Snipe. I was hoping for an early Wheatear, but instead had to be satisfied with my first Black Redstart of the year by the war memorial. Also noted two Chiffchaffs in the lighthouse garden, plus six pairs of Stonechats and a sprinkling of Pied Wagtails, Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and Chaffinches along the way. A cursory look at the sea in poor visibility produced the usual Cormorants and Great Crested Grebes on the water, a few distant Gannets, Red-throated Divers, auks and a Grey Seal. We also called in at the Obs to say hello to Tom the new assistant warden.
On the bird reserve the Boulderwall fields attracted the usual numbers of feral geese, Wigeons, Shovelers, Shelducks, Curlews and a Great White Egret. Burrowes still had hundreds more Shovelers on the lake along with numerous Teals, Gadwalls and diving ducks; I couldn`t see any Great Northern Divers, although two were reported on ARC this morning.
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