Wagtails and Waders

Lade - 0600hrs - Rain first off, then warm dry and sunny, w3 - Another poor catch in the moth trap last night  with just a handful of Silvers Ys and a Small Dusty Wave of any note.
However, a pre-breakie wander over the back delivered record breaking numbers of Yellow Wagtails (for me, at least). On the old conveyor belt fence line near Lade south I counted 85 perched birds, plus small groups of 10s and 20s scattered across the storm beaches and more overhead pushing south; I guess as a result of  the dawn rain shower. Throughout the day they were filtering over Lade and in the afternoon more small parties were grounded along the foreshore, many of which were feeding on flying insects amongst the grass. The August Yellow Wagtail passage across the Dungeness NNR is one of the viz mig highlights of the year and today I reckon I must`ve seen over 200 individuals in the Lade area alone.

                                          Black-tailed Godwit, ARC
ARC - 1330hrs - A host of waders here including Blackwit, LRP and Common Sandpiper at the southern end. Joined BB in Hanson hide where the following waders noted: 156 Lapwings 52 Golden Plovers, 18 Dunlins, 15 Ringed Plovers, 2 Little Stints, 2 Greenshanks, 2 Common Sands, plus singles of Ruff (wader species no. 24 for August) and Wood Sandpiper. Amongst the wildfowl, 4 Garganeys, 3 Pintails and 2 Wigeons. Also, 2 Sparrowhawks, 2 Little Egrets, Green Woodpecker, 200 Sand Martins and a huge adult female Marsh Harrier.