Ring Ouzel

Mild, cloudy, light airs - Spent the day guiding for Clare and Peter from London. As is tradition we commenced at the seawatch hide, but where very little was happening on the sea apart from a passing Sandwich Tern and a Red-throated Diver. However, things were much better on the land with a cracking male Ring Ouzel in gorse scrub opposite the lighthouse car park and a first for the year. Also noted around the point: two Wheatears, a male Black Redstart, several Skylarks, Linnets, Meadow Pipits, Chiffchaffs and Stonechats, plus Kestrel and a Peregrine sat atop a pylon. Kerton Quarry produced the usual waders and wildfowl. We spent the afternoon on the reserve where the highlights were six Avocets, four Goldeneyes and five Black-necked Grebes, (two close birds in summer plumage from Hanson hide) on ARC; another two Goldeneyes on Burrowes, plus a Kingfisher, 100 Black-headed Gulls hawking emerging insects, two Sand Martins and a Swallow over the car park; a Spoonbill in flight from Christmas Dell; two swimming Avocets and two Water Pipits from Dengemarsh hide (one a smart pink-breasted bird); and four Cattle Egrets from the Return Trail. Also logged elsewhere, plenty of Chiffchaffs, Reed Buntings and Cetti`s Warblers, several Bearded Tits and Marsh Harriers, hundreds of Shovelers, two Great White Egrets, Teal, Wigeon, Buzzard, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and two Corn Buntings. We finished the afternoon at Littlestone Green for beach waders. A thoroughly enjoyable day in the field in fine company during which time we racked up a respectable 78 species.

                                  Black Redstart - Dungeness

                                  Wheatear - Dungeness

                                  Ring Ouzel - Dungeness

                                  Avocets - Dengemarsh

                                  Cattle Egret - Return Trail

Sandwich Terns

Rye Harbour NR - cold, dry and sunny, NW 3 - Pat joined us for a circular walk around the Beach Reserve this morning where the willow scrub either side of the track adjacent to Narrow Pit was alive with singing Chiffchaffs (c20), several Cetti`s Warblers and a couple of Linnets. Ternery Pool held good numbers of common wildfowl, gulls and waders including 10 each of Shelduck, Avocet and Redshank, 50 Oystercatchers and two each of Sandwich Tern and Mediterranean Gull. However, most activity was on Flat Beach with 200 Black-headed Gulls, 10 Mediterranean Gulls, 120 Sandwich Terns, 150 Golden Plovers, 35 Avocets, 20 Lapwings, 20 Dunlins, four Barwits and two Curlews. Also noted along the way: Little Grebe, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks, Little Egrets, Shovelers, Teals and several Ringed Plovers. A very pleasant morning capped off by my first Swallow sighting of the year flying over the river and heading inland.

                                  Avocets - Ternery Pool & Flat Beach

                                 Golden Plovers - Flat Beach

Wheatears

Dungeness - cold, dry and sunny, NW 3 - A superb bright spring morning with a frost first thing and a keen wind out of the north, and about time I found my first Wheatear, seeing as they`ve been reported for a week or more now. However, it didn`t take long; a smart male on the Desert was followed by at least nine more, all females, and another male by the railway cafe, so 11 in total. Martin had 10 in the gully while James had up to 15 locally, so something of a `fall` this morning across the peninsula. With over 60 years of birding under my belt I still get a thrill seeing my first `white-arse` of the season; in-fact I can still recall my first one ever (seen through my beloved Charles-Frank 10x50 bins!) on Chilterns farmland at the back of Maple Cross in the 1960`s. 

                                  Wheatears - Dungeness

A Fieldfare was seen along the way, plus two Common and a Jack Snipe near the wigwams. Also noted across the Estate, several Chiffchaffs in song in the Trapping Area and Long Pits, 12 Skylarks, two Meadow Pipits, a Kestrel, a Sparrowhawk and two Greenfinches. Moving onto Kerton Quarry where there was plenty of activity on the islands from Oystercatchers, Lapwings and Redshanks, a pair of Shelducks, a pair of Egyptian Geese (still with six goslings), six Teals, 12 Gadwalls, 20 Tufted Ducks and a lone Dunlin. An adult male Marsh Harrier came in low off the bay (causing all the HGs to go berserk) before sensibly heading across the Desert towards ARC. There was no change on the Boulderwall wetlands apart from c200 Black-headed Gulls and at least one Med Gull on the far island, plus two Cattle Egrets in a sheep fold from the access road. A Hooded Crow made a brief appearance for ROR and his group this morning on the shingle ridges between Dennis`s and New Diggings, while several Sand Martins, Swallows, a Crane and a Willow Warbler were reported elsewhere across the NNR today.

                                  Sheldrake - Kerton Quarry

                                  Redshank - Kerton Quarry

    Dunlin - Kerton Quarry

Egyptian Geese

Lade - mild, misty, light airs - A circuit of the local patch delivered three Goldeneyes and a Black-necked Grebe on south lake amongst the usual common wildfowl, plus an increase in Linnets on the dry scrub as they return for the breeding season. Moving onto Kerton quarry where a pair of Egyptian Geese had a brood of six goslings on the water; the first I`ve seen this year, although I did see a pair with young back in December at Scotney! There was plenty of territorial activity on the main island from Lapwing, Redshank and Shelduck. There wasn`t much change across Dengemarsh from my last visit on Friday with 180 Wigeon, several Shoveler, Shelduck and Teal on the Boulderwall fields, plus several Lapwings and Redshanks, nine Cattle and four Great White Egrets, Marsh Harrier and Buzzard.

                                   Egyptian Geese - Kerton Quarry

On Sunday we visited Pirate Springs where a Red Kite drifted over from New Romney. On the golf links rough grassland several pairs of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were displaying while 145 Turnstones foraged along the foreshore on the incoming tide. Farmland walks around Romney over the weekend delivered very little apart from a few more Reed Buntings and Linnets to the field margins and on Saturday a steady nocturnal passage of Redwings over the town calling in the mist.

Goshawk

Orlestone Forest - warm, dry and sunny, light airs - Together with Chris we spent the morning in the woods for a change of scene in glorious early spring sunshine. En-route a Red Kite flapped over the road by the Red Lion at Snargate. As the sun warmed the grassy rides numerous Peacock and Brimstone butterflies emerged onto the wing along with a couple of Commas, but no sign of any Large Tortoiseshells which have been noted recently. At least 25 Chiffchaffs were in song across the woodland complex along with two Blackcaps and a host of resident species including Nuthatch, Long-tailed and Coal Tits, Treecreeper, Bullfinch, Goldfinch, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and singles of Mistle Thrush, Redwing and Siskin. Surprisingly, we drew a blank on any Crossbills or crests but, as expected, Marsh Tit, Hawfinch and Lesser-pecker were absent. On the plus side though, as the warmth built, several Buzzards soared over the canopy and a Goshawk rushed through; however, a while later we had protracted views of another Goshawk thermalling overhead. And Ted also enjoyed his outing amongst the trees.

                                  Primroses

                                  Nuthatch collecting mud

                                  Tired Ted!

Avocets

Warm, dry and sunny, SW 3 - A circuit of Lade this morning produced the three wintering Goldeneyes still on south lake amongst a sprinkling of Shoveler, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Teal and Pochard; whilst I didn`t have any luck with the Black-necked Grebe it was located this afternoon (ROR) by the wall mirror reedbed. Also noted singing Reed Bunting, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Cetti`s Warbler around the ponds, plus a Firecrest, a Great White Egret and a female Marsh Harrier elsewhere across the site. As it was high tide the walk back along the beach delivered very little apart from a few roosting Ringed Plovers and Dunlins. Moving onto Kerton quarry where it was good to see two pairs each of Lapwing and Redshank going about their nuptials on the main island along with the usual motley collection of feral geese, several Teal and Black-backed Gulls. Just as we were about to leave a flock of six Avocets flew in, circled over the island calling before eventually settling on the water.

                                  Avocets - Kerton quarry

This past week we`ve been walking the farmland tracts around Romney where wildlife is few and far between apart from the occasional forlorn Skylark or two, a lone Cetti`s Warbler and a couple each of Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer. Visits to Dungeness have delivered the usual seabirds, including a decent movement of Brent Geese and Common Gulls last Thursday, plus a Jack Snipe by the wigwams. The `resident` flock of Cattle Egrets at Cockles Bridge peaked at 19 today, with two Whooper Swans in the field opposite and a family of three at the back of Scotney sand pit. On Sunday I joined Chris for the final harrier count of the season from our watchpoint on Walland Marsh where 10 Marsh Harriers came to roost in appalling weather conditions with strong winds and heavy rain; and we got a right good soaking too! Over the weekend the first hints of spring passage emerged across the peninsula with a few Wheatears and Sand Martins being reported along with Black Redstarts and Firecrests.

                                  Marsh Marigolds - New Romney

    Brent Geese - Dungeness

Reed Buntings

Dungeness - warm, dry and sunny, W4 - A fine spring morning for a guided walk around the RSPB circular trail. Reed Buntings had arrived back in force with at least 50 birds noted scattered amongst the willow scrub along with 20 Cetti`s Warblers also in song. The guests enjoyed good views of several Marsh Harriers, Grey Herons and Great White Egrets, plus a host of feral geese and wintering ducks including two Goldeneyes on Burrowes and three laggard White-fronts on the fields at the back of Dengemarsh.  The two Whooper Swans and 12 Cattle Egrets remained at Cockles Bridge.

                                   Reed Bunting - Dengemarsh