Post Breeding Dispersal

Lade - 0700hrs, cool, nw3, showery - Walked down to Kerton Road pit to check out the Bhgs, but still couldn`t decided whether any are nesting. Good to see Oystercatchers and Lapwings with chicks though.
ARC - 1200hrs - A flock of 50 Lapwings on the islands suggested post-breeding dispersal from the continent. Also noted, 2 Hobbies, 2 Common Terns, Kestrel, Dunlin, LRP and Cuckoo.
News from the obs this morning:  a Golden Oriole in the south-east section of the Trapping Area.

Hobbies and Little Egrets

Lade - cool, dry, cloudy, sw3 - Another poor catch in the garden moth trap last night due to the cool conditions. However, new for the year were Straw Dot, Vestal and Green Pug.
ARC 1600hrs - At least 6 Hobbies hawking insects over Tower Pits, with more reported over the road. From Screen hide, 4 Little Egrets, 2 LRP`s, 2 Ringed Plovers, Shoveler and at least 50 Pochard. One of the egrets was filling up on small fish and frogs in front of the hide. Gullman and Plodding Birder were also on site, complete with long lenses...

                                          Little Egret, ARC

Cranes - in retrospect

Dungeness - cool, cloudy, sw5 - Another breezy day made for difficult viewing. A quick look on the bird reserve (Rugby Boys on site) revealed a pair of Garganeys and a Hobby at ARC, 3 Knot, 2 Turnstone and a Dunlin on Burrowes and a Blackwit on Dengemarsh. Plenty of low Swifts everywhere, and reports of a ringtail Hen Harrier early on this morning.
Cranes - A pair of Common Cranes spent at least 3 weeks on the Marsh earlier this month but have not been reported for a week or more now. They were seen at a number of locations, but particularly favoured  potato fields that were being irrigated.

                                         Common Cranes, Romney Marsh

Farmland Survey

Postling - 0800hrs - cool, dry, cloudy, nw2 - Spent a very pleasant morning ambling around my RSPB Farmland Bird Survey site on the downs near Postling. What a difference a month has made since my last visit; the oil-seed rape has now gone to seed and shot up to over a metre in height. On the bird front decent counts of Lesser Whitethroats, Yammers, Linnets and Goldfinches, with juvs of both finches on the wing plus Whitethroats and Great Tits. Also of note, Skylark, Mipit, Hobby, Buzzard, Kestrel and the biggest surprise of all a pair of Spot Flits in a thin strip of woodland.

We also got buzzed by a Hawker Hurricane! (someone please correct me if I`m wrong... )  That didnt take long! Apparently, I`m reliably informed by the Ashford Aviation Twitcher (ta, very much) that the said plane is a Rusky Yak 50 aerobatic aircraft painted to look like a Hurricane - marvellous thing an education...

Walland Marsh - 1300hrs Thought I might as well continue on with the farmland theme this afternoon back on the Marsh. A singing Quail was the highlight, in a field of peas, plus plenty of Lesser Whitethroats, Yellow Wagtails, Corn Bunting and particularly Tree Sparrows. Also, Cuckoo, 8 Marsh Harriers, 2 Hobbies, 2 Buzzards, 10 Lapwings and 20 Med Gulls. And, not another birder seen all day...

A trio of Wallands finest - Corn Bunting, Tree Sparrow and Yellow Wagtail                                                                                                                        

                            

Rain, at last...

Dungeness - cool, windy, showery sw 5 - A dreadful day with a strong south-westerly gusting to 40mph during the afternoon; however, rain at last, well a few short, sharp, showers at least. Anyhow, birding was tough going due to the wind, even the Swifts over the bird reserve waters were struggling. The pair of Garganeys were still on ARC alongside a couple of Little Egrets, which I pressume are from the Lydd heronry where one or two pairs are nesting this year.

                                          Dodder, Dungeness

Dodder, now there`s a plant that`s done well this year. Despite the drought its absolutely everywhere on the point smothering ground hugging plants such as grasses and even up onto the brooms. This sticky, string-like parasitic species comes in various shades of red, pink and off-white and is steeped in folk lore. It has some great old country names such as Strangling String, Hellbine and my favourite Devil`s Guts.

The Patch

Dungeness - 1000hrs - warm, dry sunny, s3 - The usual mix of Common Terns and Black-headed Gulls at the Patch, plus a single adult Med Gull. Offshore a few Gannets and Sandwich Terns.
Black Redstart, Wheatear, Mipit, Linnet, Whitethroat and Pied Wagtail all busily feeding and returning to nest sites with food.

                                          Common Terns and Med Gull, The Patch
ARC - 1600hrs From the Screen a pair of Garganey and from Hanson 6 Tundra Plovers dropped in. Cuckoo, Sparrowhawk and Marsh Harrier, noted. No sign of the reported Red-footed Falcon though.

The Desert

Lade - warm, dry and sunny, sw3 - Plodded round the local patch this morning recording breeding birds for RSPB survey. Of note was a pair each of Ringed Plover and Lapwing out on the Desert. A Buzzard put in an appearance and the Cuckoos were busy around the main reed bed checking out poor, unfortunate Reed Warblers. Three singing Cetti`s Warblers over the back and more Dabchicks with juvs out on the water.
To say its dry down here is an understatement. I cant remember the last time we had rain, it must have been weeks ago. Anyhow, the Desert is living up to its name with the vegetation burnt to a crisp, particularly the gorse thickets which are tinder dry. The only splash of colour is from the yellow of the deep-rooted Prostrate Broom. Even the Foxgloves are struggling and as for Vipers Bugloss, there`s hardly any on show this spring.

                                          The Desert
Greatstone Beach - 2000hrs A late look at the beach revealed a flock of 47 small, dark, Ringed Plovers, which I assumed were of the tundrae race as they were noticeable different from the resident birds.

Garganey

ARC 1300hrs - warm, dry, sunny, sw5 - A pair of Garganey were present in front of Screen hide at ARC. Hundreds of Swifts over the water here and on Burrowe`s where the only wader of note was a summer plum Turnstone. Elsewhere, a Black-necked Grebe was reported from Dengemarsh.

Windy Again

Lade - sunny, mild, sw 3 - The much forecast overnight rain failed to materialise yet again, and what with an increasingly dry wind (up to force 6 by late afternoon) the peninsula is looking decidedly dry and barren. The trap held a decent number of moths including the first Large Yellow Underwings of the season and a Grass Emerald.
On Lade Pits the first juv Dabchicks of the spring noted away from the reedbed, while 50 Swifts and House Martins were hawking insects in the lee of the wind over the causeway willows.

                                          Grass Emerald
Dungeness - 1600hrs Thought I`d try an hour at the fishing boats due to the brisk wind. A steady down-Channel passage of Gannets, Sandwich and Commic Terns, a few Kitts and Fulmars plus a stunningly close Roseate Tern.

Odds and Ends

Dungeness - warm, dry and sunny sw2 - Had a scoot around the bird reserve this afternoon. A lone Brent and 2 Little Gulls was all I could muster on ARC, while from Springfield Bridge the Bittern was `booming` regularly. A large mixed flock of Swifts and House Martins over Hookers contained nothing unusual and a Redshank was making the most of the fast shrinking mud on the flood. Checked in at the Visitor Centre and had a quick yarn with Hawkeye and Wealdman, who also had nothing to report. It began to feel like a quiet day at the end of spring migration really... 

Golden Oriole

ARC - 0915hrs - Warm, dry and sunny, w2 -Whilst poking about on Walland Marsh this morning, news broke of a Golden Oriole on the bird reserve. It was found by the Lord of Hookers (aka Fairweather Birder) who went off piste birding by the Screen Hide. As I walked down the track I could hear it calling from a clump of willows opposite the hide. I settled down to wait with the finder and the Joker, who regailed us with stories of GO`s past, in the moat, before the 2nd Cod War. The old boy was in full flow when the said black and yellow job showed for a split second before plunging into the next thicket; what a view! of only my second Dunge record. More locals started to appear as the news spread, including the Baitdigger who had one fly over his garden a few years ago. True to form the Romney Twitcher arrived on cue complete with trendy shades...
On the pit 2 Little Gulls and a Little Egret of note.

In the trap last night a Figure of Eighty, a moth I rarely get.

Common Sandpiper

Dungeness - warm, dry and sunny, sw2 - Checked for waders on ARC through the day but could only find 2 Greenshanks, also 2 Little Gulls at the south end. Finally caught up with Common Sandpiper at Scotney. A late afternoon look at the sea from the concrete road with the Joker produced a single Arctic Skua and brief views of the Glaucous Gull.
Elsewhere around the peninsular today a small fall of Spotted Flycatchers noted.

Marsh Churches

Cool, cloudy, w4 - To finish off the Birds and Mediaeval Church tour we weaved our way across Walland Marsh, via All Saints, Lydd, visiting St Augustines at Brookland, famous for its detached wooden bell tower, St Dunstan, Snargate with its Elizabethan wall painting of a ship, and the iconic St Thomas a Becket at Fairfield. Birds noted included Buzzard, Cuckoos, Marsh Harriers, Tree Sparrows, Goldfinches and Lesser Whitethroat. Checked out ARC for the reported Temmincks Stint, but no sign of it.
Back at the Light Railway Cafe, Dungeness a review of the trip revealed 84 species, not bad considering nearly all were seen from the car.
A quiet night in the moth trap, although another Maiden`s Blush was a nice surprise.

                                         Maiden`s Blush

Captain Pugwash and his Merry Men

Dungeness - 1000hrs - cool, dry and sunny sw3 - Our tour of the Marsh continues... A seawatch from the concrete road produced a steady flow of Gannets, a few scoters and scores of Sandwich and Common Terns down-Channel.
RSPB - 1200hrs - A Little Gull and two Common Terns at the southern end of ARC, plus Lapwing, Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover. On Burrowes more of the same plus a flock of summer plum Sanderling that dropped in on the shingle ridges in front of Makepeace, and LRP; no sign of the reported Little Stint. Plenty of Swifts and House Martins feeding over the fields at Boulderwall, cracking views of two Hobbies and a Tree Sparrow at the farm. From Dengemarsh hide Captain Pugwash and his Merry Men were floating out tern rafts, with Common Terns landing on them almost immediately! Several Marsh Harriers showed well here and we watched an adult male getting a torrid time from a Raven. Three Bar-headed Geese amongst the Greylags on the flood by Springfield Bridge and a single Whimbrel headed north calling.
Missed a flyover Osprey due to the O2 Network being down all day.
Galloways 1500hrs - Jammed a Little Owl on the battery sheds. Further round, Stonechat, Wheatear, Mipit, Linnets, Whitethroats and Kestrel.
Finished off at Old Romney church.

                                         Dengemarsh Rafters

ARC

ARC - cool, cloudy, w3 - Start of a three day historical/bird tour of the Marsh with an Australian visitor. Started off at Dungeness with Mipit, Skylark and Wheatear and then moved on to the ARC. From Hanson LRP, Lapwing, Little Egret, 2 Common Terns, 2 Little Gulls, 3 Whimbrel over and  4 Hobbies hawking insects over Tower Pits.

Millions of Flies

Lade - 0600hrs - cool, sunny, nw2 - There were hundreds of Swifts and House Martins hawking insects over the scrub by south pit this morning, in the lee of a brisk north-westerly. On closer inspection I tentatively identified them as St Mark`s Flies (furry, black bodies with dangly legs) and there must have been literally millions of them. On the storm beaches Starlings and Sparrows were also mopping them up and hurriedly flying back to nest sites with beakfulls of these bountiful insects; there must be some very satisfied chicks in nests along the coast road bungalows today. A Wheatear singing from a power line post also flew down to feed on the flies.

                                          Wheatear, Lade
Only 20 species in the trap last night, including several immaculate `tigers` and a `hawk`

                                          Cream-spot Tiger                                         

                                          Poplar Hawk Moth

Cup Final Day

Cool, cloudy, W3 - In past years something good normally turns up on Cup Final Day, but not today it seems. Had a scout around Lade early morning with only a party of 50 Swifts on the move of note. At Boulderwall, early afternoon, a hatch of insects (probably mayflies) had hundreds of Black-headed Gulls, Hobby, Swifts, Swallows, House and even a few Sand Martins above the lagoons snapping up an easy meal; even a couple of Crows gave it a go! Late migrants reported in the Visitor Centre today included Turtle Dove and Spotted Flycatcher.
Nothing much in the moth trap last night due to the cooler temperatures, but always a pleasure to see a few Angle Shades, one of my favourite moths.

Angle Shades

Lost Blogs

For some reason two days of post were lost this week, so here`s a quick summary.
Wednesday - 11th May - Did Dungeness in the morning and mopped up on the likes of Black Redstart, Wheatear, Stonechat and Skylark. At the Patch located a Roseate Tern on the beach amongst 100 Common and 5 Arctic Terns. In the afternoon we scored with two stunning Red-rumped Swallows over the fields at Boulderwall alongside hundreds of Swifts and House Martins. Also around the reserve 3 Little Gulls, Whimbrel, Stonechat and a cracking Greenland Wheatear. In the evening a decent selection of waders on Greatstone Beach included Knot, Whimbrel and Sanderling.
Thursday - 12th May - Hunted around Walland Marsh for farmland birds and had cracking views of Yellow Wagtails, Corn Bunting, Tree Sparrow, Hobby, Buzzards and Marsh Harriers. Superb views of the relocated Crane at the Woolpack plus 20 Med Gulls. Spent the afternoon at Rye Harbour where the seabird colony was a big hit with the first Black-headed Gulls chicks on show. At least 9 Little Terns noted and a pair of Avocets with chicks. Looked in at Scotney on the way back where a flock of 42 Ringed Plovers was noteworthy.

                                          Sub-adult Crane, Walland Marsh

                                          Black-headed Gull with chicks, Rye Harbour

                                         Little Terns, Rye Harbour
Friday - 13th May - Did a short seawatch at Dungeness and got Gannets and scoters. Lade delivered superb views of Cuckoo and Marsh Harrier.
Finished the week with 107 species and a good run of rarities including: Red-backed Shrike, Collared Pratincole, Crane, Roseate Tern and Red-rumped Swallows. Also, some good back up species, most seen at close range, which birders struggle to find up country such as: Brent Goose, Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Peregrine, Hobby, LRP, Avocet, Barwit, Whimbrel, Med, Little and Glaucous Gulls, Arctic and Little Terns, Turtle Dove, Cuckoo, Barn and Little Owls, Nightingale, Garden Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Yellow Wagtail, Black Redstart, Wheatear and Greenland Wheatear, Stonechat, Mipit, Tree Sparrow and Corn Bunting.

Walland Marsh

Walland Marsh - 0915hrs - cool, dry and sunny, w3 - Spent the morning on Walland searching for farmland birds and the like. One of the group particularly wanted to see Yellow Wagtails; and she was not to be disappointed as we had cracking views of 10 or more around the Marsh, along with good views of Corn Bunting, Tree Sparrow, Cuckoo, Med Gulls, Hobby, Buzzard and Marsh Harriers. The Joker was on site hunting for the Quail when he picked up a Crane flying over - on call! (a top find by the old boy). It was eventually relocated by Hawkeye and we all enjoyed stunning close views of this continental wanderer.

                                          Sub-adult Crane, Walland Marsh
Rye Harbour NR - 1315hrs As always a pleasure to visit this well managed site with its seabird colony and breeding waders, despite the soaking we got from a 10 minute cloud burst! The terns and gulls were on fine form with the first Black-headed Gull chicks of the season on show. Couldn`t find any more than a dozen Med Gulls on nests but I`m sure there were many more tucked away on islands. The Sarnie Terns seem to have shifted to the southern side of Ternery Pool. Avocets also noted with chicks, but the highlight of the visit was a flock of 9 Little Terns on Quarry Beach.

                                          Black-headed Gull with chicks, Rye Harbour

                                          Little Terns, Rye Harbour
Scotney GP - 1600hrs A count of 42! Ringed Plovers on the grass fields was the only noteworthy event here.

Two Red-rumped Swallows and a Roseate Tern

Dungeness - 0900hrs - cool, cloudy, w3 -Spent the morning on the estate mopping up the little `uns with our visiting birders. Eventually got Mipit, Skylark, Stonechat, Wheatear and Black Redstart. At the Patch located a Roseate Tern on the beach amongst the gulls, plus 100 Common, 5 Arctic Terns and a Kittiwake.
RSPB - 1300hrs - Superb views of 2 Red-rumped Swallows feeding over the fields near Boulderwall amongst a large mixed flock of Swifts and House Martins which had moved south to avoid showers over the Weald. Also, 3 Little Gulls on the reserve, Whimbrel, Cuckoo and Stonechat.
Greatstone Beach - 1930hrs - A decent count of waders on the beach this evening, most in summer plum, including 2 Grey Plover, 10 Sanderling, 20 Dunlin, 10 Redshank, 15 Ringed Plover, 5 Knot, 1 Barwit, 100 Oystercatcher and 50 Curlew.

Collared Pratincole

Snargate - 0915hrs En-route to the woods a pit stop at Snargate produced cracking views of Yellow Wagtail, Cuckoo, 2 Marsh Harriers and Lesser Whitethroat. Plenty of Whitethroats, Linnets and Tree Sparrows along the Marsh lanes.
Orlestone Forest - 1000hrs Checked out Faggs and Park Woods. Plenty of singing woodland warblers including Garden Warbler, 12 Nightingales, Turtle Dove, Spotted Flycatcher, Cuckoo, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Jay and Long-tailed Tit.
RSPB - 1330hrs News of a Collared Pratincole on the bird reserve had us hot-footing back to Dungeness where we had superb views of this stunning wader hawking insects over Christmas Dell. No chance of any digi-pics, but checkout the DBO website.
A small flock of Whimbrels on the fields at Galloways and 2 Little Gulls from the causeway on ARC.
Dungeness - 1600hrs Eventually located the Glaucous Gull at the boats where it showed well.

                                         Shortie the Glaucous Gull
Cheyne Ct 1900hrs - Finished the day in fine style with a singing Quail in a pea field. Also, Barn Owl, Marsh Harriers, Yellowhammer, Tree Sparrow and Corn Bunting.

Red-backed Shrike

ARC - 0915hrs - A good turn out of locals (doesnt anybody work these days, no wonder the country`s in such a state, blah, blah, blah...) for the first male Red-backed Shrike for ages. It performed well down by the pines catching large invertebrates, and being mobbed by Reed Buntings.

                                          Red-backed Shrike - once so common, now a rarity
Another good moth catch last night including the first migrant White-point of the season, and Fox Moth

                                          Fox Moth
Birdwatching Break, ARC - 1400hrs  - Three birders in for the week and off to a cracking start with  the male Red-backed Shrike near the pines showing well. Also here Peregrine, Hobby, Marsh Harrier and Kestrel, plus all the usual warblers, Cuckoo and Green Woodpecker. On the water, Little Egret, Redshank, Teal and fly-over Raven, Curlew and Common Tern.
Dungeness - 1600hrs -No sign of the Glaucous Gull at the boats. A few Sandwich Terns passing the point, plus a single Brent and distant Fulmar and Gannet.
Galloways - 1915hrs - Superb views of my first Turtle Dove of the year on the wires by Brett`s. Stonechats further round on the gorse and Little Owl on the chicken sheds.
From Springfield Bridge a Bar-headed Goose amongst its feral mates, more Marsh Harriers, Shelduck and Wigeon.

                                         Red-backed Shrike, ARC

Passerine Recce

Dungeness - 0630hrs - warm, dry and cloudy, sw2 -Had a recce for breeding birds this morning for a forthcoming bird tour starting tomorrow; Wheatear, Stonechat and Black Redstart all safely located. At the Patch, 50 Common, 5 Arctic and 1 Black Tern amongst the gulls. A cursory look further out revealed a few passing Gannets, scoters and a Bonxie. Four Mute Swans circled the point before landing on the sea. The Glaucous Gull remains in the vicinity of the fishing boats.
ARC - 1630hrs A brief look from the Screen produced a drake Garganey and Blackwit of note. At least 50 Swifts over the water tower.
The moth trap was bulging this morning with a worn, Rustic Shoulder Knot new for the trap and the first Buff-tip of the season.

                                          Buff-tip

A Southerly Airflow

Dungeness 0545-0730hrs - warm, early showers, sunny later, se2 - Had to give the sea a go, what with a southerly airflow and a bit of rain (first for ages). Pretty quiet really, apart from 5 close Poms and an Arctic Skua (must`ve seen over 50 Poms this spring so far). A steady flow of Common, a few Arctics, 2 Blacks and a Little Tern, Common and 2 Velvet Scoters, 2 Shovelers, 10 Fulmars, 20 Barwits, 6 Sanderling, 4 Grey Plovers, 1 Curlew and 100 Gannets. On the land the rain had freshened things up with plenty of bird song, including a Reed Warbler in the lighthouse garden.
Plovers -A good catch in the trap last night including the first White Spot, Buff-tip and Angle Shades of the year. White Spot is something of a Dungeness speciality being a moth of coastal shingle beaches. The larvae feed at night on Nottingham Catchfly and hide amongst ground cover during the day.

                                          White Spot, Plovers

RSPB - 1100hrs A circuit here produced very little apart from `booming` Bittern and `pinging` Beardies from the ramp. A `ringtail` was also on site.

                                          Common Tern, Dengemarsh - looking for a raft...

Back on the Marsh

                                          Brent Goose, Dengemarsh

Lade - warm, dry and sunny se 2 - Great to be back home after 3 days away in London; makes you realise how lucky we are living down here. Off to a cracking start late morning when the local Herring Gull gang went ballistic at a raptor coming down the coast that turned out to be a Honey Buzzard. It was about 100 feet up, so only brief views as it headed north towards Greatstone. Also, Cuckoo in the garden.
Dengemarsh - 1600hrs From Springfield Bridge 2 Hobbies hawking insects over Hookers, a lone Barwit on the flood and 3 late Brents with the feral geese. The drake Survivor Duck appears to have found a mate.
The Purple Heron was seen again this morning at Hookers, along with a flyover Wood Sandpiper ( The Joker) and a Rough-legged Buzzard went south over Kearton Road (Hawkeye).

More Skuas and Waders

Dungeness - 0600-0800hrs - cool, sunny, ne 5, sea  choppy - Arrived to find the seawatch hide already full but managed to squeeze in out of the brisk north-easterly wind. A good watch with the highlight being 10 Poms and 6 Black-throated Divers. A decent supporting cast of 10 Arctic and 1 Great Skua, 2 Red-throated Divers, 20 Little and 1 Black Terns, 1 Little Gull,1 Fulmar, 50 Common Scoters, 2 Tufted Ducks, 100 Barwits, 20 Knot, 5 Grey Plover, 5 Sanderling, 1 Ringed Plover and a steady flow of auks, Gannets, Common and Sandwich Terns, plus incoming Swallows.
The Cathedral of the Marsh - 1000hrs  Spent a couple of hours atop the Lydd church tower for RSPB showing the heronry to visitors on the annual open day. Ten occupied nests all had 1-3 `branchers` clinging on in the strong north-easterly wind. The views across the Marsh on a bright sunny morning were spectacular.

                                          Lydd heronry in holm oaks

                                         4/5 week old `Branchers`
Rye Harbour - 1400hrs En-route to Rye 200 Barwits in the fields at Scotney and by Northpoint Pit. Little, Common and Sandwich Terns, Med and Black-headed Gulls, more Barwits and Whimbrels, Greenshank and Grey Plover on the reserve.
Denge Marsh - 1700hrs Rounded the day off in grand style with cracking views of a Red-rumped Swallow that had been feeding around the corral all afternoon. A bevy of locals on site when I arrived including Fairweather Birder (aka Lord of Hooker`s) who relocated the swallow.
ARC - During the course of the day there was a steady flow of waders coming and going at the southern end of the pit, including Whimbrel, Barwit, Spot Shank, Greenshank, Ringed and Little Ringed Plover, Redshank, Lapwing and Oyc, plus a flock of 6 Arctic Terns. Burrowes also had more of the same, plus Turnstone and Knot.

May Day Waders

Dungeness - 0615hrs - mild, sunny, ne3 - A late start this morning. All the usual suspects present, plus visiting birders arriving all the time, no doubt expecting a repeat performance of yesterday. Did an hour and a bit and had a steady flow of waders, mainly Barwits but also Sanderling, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Knot and Whimbrel, while a scoter flock contained 11 Velvets. A few Common and Little Terns through and 2 Black Terns on the Patch. Nothing much on the land apart from singing Whitethroats Wheatear, Black Redstart, Mipit and Linnets.
Checked out the boats where Shortie the Glaucous Gull was still present. Had a quick look at the sea and a party of 5 Poms passed close to shore! (could be another good day) Also, 5 Little Terns and 2 Red-throated Divers. Grey Seal and several porpoises just off shore.

                                          Avocets, ARC
ARC - 0830hrs - From the causeway a decent selection of summer plum waders coming and going including a dozen Barwits, 5 Grey Plovers, 2 Dunlin, Greenshank and a party of Avocets that landed for all of 3 minutes! Also, LRP, Lapwing, Redshank and Oyc.

                                          Grey Plover, almost in summer plum, ARC
Dungeness Boats - 1500-1630hrs - An afternoon seawatch from the boats delivered a steady flow of mainly Barwits, totally c500, most of them close to shore. A few Grey Plovers, 2 Pom Skuas (1615hrs), 10 Little Terns, 2 Brents, 30 Common Terns, 50 Common Scoters and 20 Gannets. At least 3 porpoises just offshore and Shortie loafing on the beach after stuffing himself with fish offal..