Ringtail

Dungeness - cold, overcast, drizzle, NE 3 - After four days of foul weather the strong winds and rain associated with named storm Darragh at last relented, although the Mordor-like gloom persists. We started off at Lade first thing with four Goldeneyes the highlight on south lake, plus Teal, Pochard and Tufted into three figures. We then walked the foreshore at Dungeness checking the few gulls that were present while a trickle of auks, Gannets and Red-throated Divers were noted on the sea along with a couple of Grey Seals. The land was largely bird-less apart, from the Hume`s Warbler which continues its residency in around the bird observatory garden; this morning it was calling intermittently`  - a sharp, `chew-wit`, similar to a Pied Wagtail to my ears. It was then onto the bird reserve and a walk out to New Diggings along the Outland Trail that delivered two Common Snipes flushed from the footpath and a cracking adult female Hen Harrier overhead that continued on towards Boulderwall. The Long-tailed Duck eventually surfaced long enough to actually see it from the viewpoint, while a Great Northern Diver was reported at the southern end of the lake later on (MC). From the visitor centre a single Black-necked Grebe was noted over the far side of the lake. 

                                   Kestrel, Lade