More Brents

Dungeness - 0645hrs - Cold, cloudy, sw 4 - The wind swung round to a south-westerly vector for the first time in ages but it remained quite chilly. Together with MH we seawatched from the end of the concrete road until 0800hrs with the main spectacle being the up-Channel passage of at least 510 Brents. Plenty of Gannets were also on the move at around 200, plus a steady stream of auks, Red-throated Divers, Kittiwakes, Common Scoters, 8 Oystercatchers, 4 Med Gulls and 3 Fulmars, plus a single harbour porpoise, my first of the year. We also watched a Merlin chase a jinking Skylark half way across the Peninsula, without success, as far as we could see.
Lade - Slim pickings here with just the usual wildfowl present, most of which were huddled amongst the willows due to the strong wind, while a smart male Marsh Harrier was hunting low over the reedbed scattering the Teal.
ARC - 1530hrs - A blustery old wind made birding difficult with most wildfowl hugging the margins and reedbeds where 6 Smew and 4 Goldeneye from Hanson and 2 more Smew from Screen, where also 2 Great White Egrets and a Marsh Harrier over. Six Shelduck flew in and the duck Red-crested Pochard remained on Tower Pits.