"You Should`ve Been Here Yesterday"

Dungeness - 0730hrs - cool, dry, hazy, ne2 -  Smashed my all time record for the least amount of time spent in the seawatch hide - 10 minutes! (whatever would dear old Ray have said, probably something along the lines of  -  "You ****ing light weight"!). Mothman and the Farmer (thanks for the pics) however had far more stamina having been present since first light, recording a steady flow of Red-throated Divers, plus a few ducks and mergansers. My excuse was that I needed to check out the lighthouse garden for yesterdays Serins... Like that was going to happen... Anyway, Marshman (is he ever going to finish that garage...) and the Joker turned up and the Serin quest was soon forgotten. Half a dozen Black Redstarts and Wheatears around the old light and a few Chiffchaffs was about it. Did a circuit over to the Obs and back with just a few Linnets and Goldfinches to add.

                                          Black Redstart, lighthouse garden

Birdwatching Break - Picked up two London birders , Raymond and Stuart, from Ashford at midday for their 9th visit to  plovers (must be doing something right!).
Checked out Littlestone for shorebirds followed by the boats at Dungeness where Shortie the Glaucous Gull put on a five star show bossing around all the other large gulls as a fishing boat landed. On ARC we bagged a pair of LRP`s and Slav Grebes, 2 Swallows (my first of the year), 5 Goldeneyes, White Wagtail, Green Woodpecker and Tree Sparrow at Boulderwall. The flood at Dengemarsh produced a pair of Pintail, plus a host of Wigeon, Teal and Shelduck. Had distant views of the Ravens on the switch house and close views of the Marsh Harriers over the reed bed including a pair mating.

                                          Shortie - Dungeness Boats