Purple Sandpipers

Dungeness - 1030hrs - Cold, wet, se6 - A shocker of a morning with heavy rain and a strong, gusting gale force wind that backed westerly by midday - Arrived at the fishing boats only to find a nail had caused a slow puncture in the car. So, as PB confirmed all was quiet it was off to Folkestone to spend some money. The 3rd winter Glaucous Gull was on the beach amongst the roosting gull as I gingerly drove away.

                                          Hythe Seafront

                                          Hunkered Turnstones

                                          Purple Sandpipers, Hythe

Hythe 1300hr - Every cloud has a silver lining, as they say, and on the way back from Folkestone I called in at Hythe seafront, opposite the Hotel Imperial, where an impressive sea was pounding the shore to such an extent that the Turnstones would have needed Velcro to remain on the concrete blocks! Around 78 were hunkered down on the shingle beach along with 3 Purple Sandpipers in their midst. Every so often a huge wave would cover the Purps, who continued to feed perilously close to the breakers, but it didn't seem to bother them one jot. Managed a few dodgey digi-pics in difficult viewing conditions.
A Bonxie was noted offshore along with a trickle of Gannets and 10 Kittiwakes.
Whilst there I watched a bloke throwing a ball for his dog - into the sea!! At one stage the spaniel appeared to get into trouble (surprise, surprise) at which point matey was considering going in after it. He then received a right good soaking, which seemed to bring him to his senses, after which the dog ran up the beach onto the safety of the promenade deck; obviously having a bit more sense than his owner.
Lade 1600hrs - A stroll across the Desert to the back of south pit yielded a distant Short-eared Owl hunting the rough grassland over by the airport, plus hundreds of corvids and Woodpigeons going to roost and a stunning sunset to end an odd sort of a day.