Havent been here for ages so ambled around the car park for a bit checking out the facilities. On the sea, decent numbers of Red-throated Divers coming and going, plus a few Brents heading east; as the tide came in over the next couple of hours the total rose to c300, including one pale-breasted bird. A distant sand-bar attracted several common seals. Along the foreshore below the car park and around the tower 2/3 Black Redstarts, 2 Rock Pipits, 5 Mipits, 5 Pied Wagtails, Wrens, Robins and Turnstones.
We then walked a section of the Thanet Coastal Path eastwards besides the oyster ponds. On the seaward side a few more waders included 14 Ringed Plovers and a Grey Plover, plus 7 Shelducks and another Black Redstart, while inland Marsh Harrier, 3 Redshanks, 10 Reed Buntings and a flock of 50 Linnets noted.
MH then took us on a trip down memory lane, between here and Minnis Bay, regaling us all with birding tales from before the last Cod War!
Grove Ferry - 1115hrs- In the car park we were greeted by 3 Ring-necked Parakeets (sadly, a site tick for us all). Also, around the car park were a number of Song Thrushes, Long-tailed Tits, Goldcrests and a Chiffchaff. A scan from the ramp produced 4 Ruffs in a mixed flock of Grey Lags, Lapwings and Teals, plus a distant Peregrine. Cetti`s Warblers and Bearded Tits were heard and we had a couple of brief views of Bittern here and from Feast`s hide.
The long trudge down to the ox-bow lake marsh produced precious little apart from brief views of a ringtail harrier, 2 Greater peckers, 3 flyover Water Pipits, Green Woodpecker, Little Egret, Snipe and a couple of distant Marsh Harriers; by `eck this place is hard work.
Anyhow, spirits were lifted as we back-tracked to Marsh hide from where we had brief views of 2 Glossy Ibises as they emerged from a ditch; after which, they flew off towards Stodmarsh. The saving grace was superb views of 3 Water Pipits (bird of the day) on the muddy field in front of the hide.
Back at the car we lamented the paucity of passerines throughout the day; there just wern`t any winter thrushes, Skylarks, and very few finches, mipits and buntings, pretty much the same as the farmland on Romney Marsh really.
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