Warm, dry and sunny, SSW 2 - Summer returned today and with lighter winds we spent the first part of the morning on the local patch at Lade searching for passerines. The desert section yielded up to 20 Stonechats, 10 Wheatears, 10 Meadow Pipits and a flock of 50 Linnets, plus a trickle of southbound Swallows and Sand Martins; Kestrels were much in evidence with at least eight counted hovering over the shingles ridges at one time. The highlight on south lake was a Black Tern along with two Commons and a Sandwich Tern. Whilst checking through the wildfowl a distant Osprey over the airfield caused the ducks to temporarily take flight, while five more Kestrels thermalled over the wall mirror being mobbed by Jackdaws. Also noted: a Great White and four Little Egrets, several Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs and a Green Woodpecker.
Moving onto the fishing boats where, unusually given the fine weather conditions, a trickle of westbound Manx Shearwaters was underway, several of which came in quite close (24 were logged by John Young during the morning). Also noted a few Sandwich and Common Terns, Mediterranean Gulls, auks, Gannets and Arctic Skuas, plus a large movement of hirundines (mostly Swallows) heading out over the Channel making the most of the light southerly breeze and clear visibility. We walked along the beach back towards the boardwalk scanning for a Grey Phalarope reported earlier, but without success. A check of the bay from the Tavern viewpoint on an ebb tide revealed the usual Curlew and Oystercatcher flock, 20 Dunlin, five Bar-tailed Godwits, six Knots, 20 Sandwich Terns and hundreds more Swallows streaming towards Dungeness.
Elsewhere today: the Red-backed Shrike was still at Dungeness; a Spoonbill was new in at Dengemarsh and the American Golden Plover remained with the Goldies in a stubble field opposite Jury`s Gap.
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