Water Pipits

Dungeness RSPB - cold, dry and cloudy, SE3 - Another cold morning for a guided walk for four guests around the circular trail of the reserve where the highlight was at least four Water Pipits on hayfield 2. Duck numbers since my last visit have noticeably declined with only a handful of Shovelers and six Goldeneyes on Burrowes, where a lone Avocet was also present. All the usual wetland birds were noted including several Marsh Harriers, Great White Egrets, Cetti`s Warblers, a Raven, two Stonechats and a Black-necked Grebe on Dengemarsh lake, while the wintering Long-tailed Duck remained on New Diggings. 

                                 Egyptian Geese, Dengemarsh

The shiny new hide where Makepeace once stood is certainly spacious affording good all round views of the southern section of Burrowes, but there are one or tweeks required, the main one being the doors. Once the front flaps were open (and there was only a light breeze today) one of the doors flew open and could not be closed resulting in a fierce through draft. Neither of the doors (one of which had a faulty hinge) have handles and latches, instead relying on a thick rubber seal on the door jamb to remain shut. On a minor note the seat under the shelf for wheel-chair users needs removing for easy access, and personally I`d prefer the remaining benches to be bolted to the floor to avoid noise when being moved about as birders shuffle in to sit. Otherwise, a great addition to the reserve. 

    Burrowes -  new hide

Pintails and Smew

 Cold, dry, cloudy, N2 - Spent the day guiding for Mark from Lexington, USA. We started with the obligatory one hour seawatch from the hide at Dungeness in the company of Martin and Richard. A steady tooing and froing of Red-throated Divers, Gannets and Razorbills was the order of the watch along with two parties of Brent Geese and several Common Scoters, mostly moving up-Channel. The highlight though, just as we were leaving, was a distant `smoke` of ducks hurriedly moving down-Channel in a loose flock. At first glance we thought scoters, until Martin scoped `em and confirmed that they were infact Pintails! - around 100 and certainly the largest number I`ve ever seen here. Moving onto the bird reserve and whilst scanning Boulderwall fields a flock of 17 very nervy White-fronted Geese flew in from the east and landed briefly before flying off calling. As we commenced the circular route news came through of a redhead Smew on Dengemarsh lake, the first one for three years, and we were soon enjoying distant views of it along with a much closer Black-necked Grebe. We completed a clean sweep of wildfowl with the wintering Long-tailed Duck and two Goldeneyes on New Diggings. Also noted around the reserve, Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Raven, Kingfisher, Shelduck, four Great White Egrets, three Meadow Pipits and good views of several Cetti`s Warblers. A run out on Walland only produced a lone Green Sandpiper of note at Midley; there was no sign of the Bewick`s Swan flock. We finished the afternoon on the low tide from Littlestone Green where seven species of bay waders were logged including 10 Redshanks, two Ringed Plovers and a Black-tailed Godwit. A cracking day`s birding then in fine company during which we rattled up a not too shabby 78 species. 

                                 White-fronted Geese, Boulderwall fields

                                 Black-necked Grebe, Dengemarsh

                                 Great White Egret, New Ex

                                  Lapwing, Dengemarsh

Hints of Spring

Mild, dry and sunny, light airs - With the daylight hours steadily increasing and the weather settling down there have been more than one or two hints of spring around of late. In the garden the snowdrops are in flower and the Great Tits have become more vocal, while this morning the first Mistle Thrush of the year was singing from atop a parkland tree. A Ted walk out back, in warm sunshine, delivered more bird song from Song Thrush, Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Skylark. On Saturday we spent the morning at Dungeness where the highlights were several Black Redstarts around the power station and war memorial and two Common Snipes flushed from the desert, plus at least five Chiffchaffs in the trapping area. Elsewhere this weekend there was little change to the local birding scene with reports of the Bewick`s Swan herd still at Midley, small parties of Bean, Pink-footed and White-fronted Geese scattered across Dengemarsh and Scotney, a Black-necked Grebe on Dengemarsh lake and a Long-tailed Duck on New Diggings. 

                                   Black Redstart, Dungeness

Pink-footed Geese

Mild, dry and sunny SW2 - For a change of scene today`s Ted walk took us to Dengemarsh Gully, one of my least favourite sites locally as I hardly ever find anything decent there, and this morning was no different. Two Stonechats, four Robins and a Wren was the sum small bird total, plus a Kestrel, a Raven and thousands of gulls (mostly Black-headed Gulls) at Penn Bars on the beach and the sea. En-route to the bird reserve four Cattle and two Little Egrets were in the fields at Cockles Bridge while a Great White overflew the road at Boulderwall. At the back of Cooks Pool six Pink-footed Geese were nervously feeding on the fields, a scarce winter visitor here so good to see. On Burrowes the Great Northern Diver was still present, while the Long-tailed Duck was noted from the causeway road gate. 

                                 Penn Bars

    Pink-footed Geese, Boulderwall fields

Elsewhere this week we`ve been walking the local farmland where several Chiffchaffs have been located, and a wind-swept Pirate Springs on Monday where 100 each of Sanderling and Turnstone were logged along the strandline at high tide. 

Goldeneyes

Mild, overcast, SW3 - With the worst of named Storm Eowyn passing to the north of the British Isles the main weather event down here has been another dollop of rain. This morning we checked along the foreshore at Dungeness where a large mixed flock of gulls loafed by the lifeboat station and hundreds of Cormorants remained offshore and along the tideline into Lade bay. Lade south held five Goldeneyes, with another 13 on Burrowes, plus the wintering Long-tailed Duck on New Diggings, although I could find no sign of the divers. The reserve was largely deserted and the visitor centre closed, something that will become more regular no doubt, but it was good to see the replacement Makepeace hide under construction.

                                 Ted, Dungeness foreshore

                                 Replacement Makepeace hide, Burrowes

Elsewhere this week our Ted walks have taken us across the farmland around New Romney where birds were few and far between, which is hardly surprising considering the way the `custodians of the countryside` are performing. I fully understand that the sewers have to be cleared out to drain the land, but is it really necessary to dump all the slurry over a well-used public footpath, smother turf-field entrances and lanes with mud and grub out hedgerows. These are just a few examples from around Romney, although it`s going on right across the Marsh. On a positive note Firecest and Chiffchaff have both been seen again in and around our town garden. 

                                 Hope Lane, New Romney  

Harriers

Cold, dry, cloudy, light airs - This afternoon in gloomy weather conditions I joined Chris for the monthly harrier count on Walland Marsh where only six Marsh Harriers came to roost. However, the spectacle of the session was provided by a mass of c2,000 Woodpigeons, c2,000 Golden Plovers and c1,000 Lapwings swirling over the fields, otherwise passerines were few and far between with just six Skylarks of note. Also from our watchpoint a couple of Common Buzzards, a Common Snipe, vocalising Raven, Water Rails and Cetti`s Warblers, plus a Bittern in flight. A herd of 41 Bewick`s Swans was noted at Midley on the drive in.

                                   Bewick`s Swans, Midley

Cormorants

Lade - Cold, dry and cloudy, SE 2 - A grim morning for a circuit of the local patch where the highlights on south lake were four Goldeneyes amongst the usual wintering Pochards, Tufted Ducks, Shovelers and Gadwalls. A mixed flock of around 30 passerines included mainly Long-tailed Tits and at least three Chiffchaffs straggling behind in the scrub beside north lake, while willow clearance along the causeway has made for easier viewing across the water. Walking back along the foreshore a smear of birds along the distant tideline proved to be Cormorants, at least 3,000 of them!

Lade causeway                                         

 

                                  Cormorants, Lade bay

                                 Turnstones and Sanderlings, Lade bay 

Elsewhere these past few days visits to Dungeness delivered more wintering Chiffchaffs in the lighthouse garden and trapping area, the Long-tailed Duck and Great Northern Diver on New Diggings and five Cattle Egrets along the airport road.