The Midrips

Lade - 0500hrs - cool, dry and cloudy, n2, sw 4 later - Slightly fewer moths last night with Swallow Prom and Clouded Border new for the year. A Large Yellow Underwing was of note as there have been very few coming to light this summer (thankfully!).
Midrips - 1100hrs - With a weekend ceasefire on the ranges decided to check out the wader pools on the Midrips and Wicks, but it was slim pickings with 5 Curlew, 2 Common Sands and a Whimbrel the only waders, plus 28 Shelducks (including 4 sets of well grown ducklings), Kestrel, Mipits and Pied Wagtail. On the beach at Jury`s Gap a flock of 100 Common and Sandwich Terns contained only a handful of this years juvs, while 5 Yellow Wagtails were on the shingle bank.

                                          Clouded Border

                                          Swallow Prominent

                                          The Midrips

                                          Garganeys, Mallards and Teal, ARC

ARC - 1400hrs - Together with the Joker checked out ARC from Hanson where waders included 50 Lapwings, 4 Blackwits, 10 Common and one Green Sandpipers, 5 LRPs, 3 Dunlin and a Curlew. Plenty of dabbling ducks included a close flock of 3 Garganeys, Mallards, Teal and Shoveler, plus 3 Little Egrets and hundreds of common eclipse wildfowl. A Wood Warbler was seen and photographed by PB near the water tower (stunning pic on his blog).
We returned to Hanson later on following news of a Kentish Plover in front of the hide but could find no sign of it by 1700hrs. A Bee-eater was also reported earlier on.
Dungeness - 1500hrs - A 45 minute seawatch from the concrete road in a freshening south-westerly delivered a single Arctic Skua, Whimbrel, 2 scoters and 30 Gannets west, plus a trickle of Sandwich and Common Terns. Several parties of Swifts were also on the move over the shingle.