First Brents & Turtle Dove

Dungeness  - 0900hrs  - cool, dry, cloudy, nw 2 - Driving along the coast road it was immediately apparent that a large movement of hirundines was underway with birds streaming south, and at least one Swift. At the Obs a circuit of the moat produced 50 plus Mipits and plenty of Chiffchaffs in the bushes plus 2 Whitethroats and a Blackcap with more Chiffchaffs elsewhere as well as several Wheatears and up to 50 Linnets in bound. A Raven was active around the power station and 3 Sparrowhawks were noted.
At the boats a 30 minute seawatch produced the usual 2 Arctic Skuas, a few Sandwich Terns and Gannets, 20 Common Scoter and the first 6 Brent Geese of the autumn.

                                          Brents, Dungeness

ARC - The Pec Sand showed well at the south end amongst a mixed flock of Blackwits, Dunlins and Ruff, a Black-necked Grebe and all the usual wildfowl. Management work was underway in front of Hanson so we worked our way up to the pines where there were more Chiffchaffs, 2 Sparrowhawks and a Green Woodpecker.
Ray and Stuart finished on 103 species with waders being the highlight, particularly the Pectoral Sandpiper.
On the way back from Ashford I crossed the Marsh via Snave where a Turtle Dove perched on overhead wires by the church was my sole record of the autumn so far.