Waders & Wagtails

Dengemarsh Gully - 0800hrs  - Warm, misty, e2, sunny later - A change of plan this morning as we walked the gully down and back in misty conditions, but with little return apart from singles of Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcap, Whinchat, Wheatear and Reed Bunting. On the field by the chicken sheds the first 50 or so of many Yellow Wagtails seen today, plus `pinging` Beardies along the sewer.
Galloways - At least 15 Whinchats here but little else.
Scotney - What was bird of day in the shape of a ringtail Hen Harrier hunting behind the farm, with plenty of common wildfowl on the pits plus 2 Egyptian Geese. More migrant Yellow Wagtails with at least 200 coming and going and scattered amongst the sheep, where also 20 Pied Wagtails, 10 Curlews, 100 Starlings and 2 Common Sandpipers.

                                Egyptian Geese, Scotney

                                Yellow Wagtails, Scotney

ARC - From Hanson hide a host of waders on the shingle ridges included 300 Lapwing, 160 Golden Plover, 10 Curlew, 6 Oystercatcher, 7 Blackwits, 5 Greenshank, 5 Dunlin, 4 Ruff, 4 Ringed Plover, 2 Snipe and a Curlew Sandpiper. A Peregrine spooked the waders on occasions while Marsh Harrier and Sparrowhawk also put in an appearance. Also noted 3 Garganey, 2 Little Egret and a Green Woodpecker with more Yellow Wags overhead.
Please note that the vegetation in front of Hanson hide is being cut tomorrow, Thursday 5th September, to improve the view across the ridges, so if anyone is planning a visit make it after 5pm, or better still leave it `til Friday (thanks for the warning Craig).

                                Black-tailed Godwits, Burrowes

Burrowes - Plenty more waders here, particularly in front of Firth hide, with 7 Blackwits, 6 Greenshanks, 5 Dunlin, 2 Snipe, 2 Ruff, 2 Common Sandpiper and a Knot. From Makepeace a distant Little Stint alongside 2 Dunlin plus 2 LRPs and a Whimbrel over.
Lade - Loads more Yellow Wagtails passing overhead during the afternoon, plus Black-necked Grebe on south lake and Green Sandpiper and Redshank in the willow swamp.
Kerton Road - Called in at the café this afternoon where the main talking point was a spectacular insect, an Ant-lion, Euroleon nostros, which apparently is a rare migrant probably of continental origin.
Dungeness - Finished off with a late afternoon seawatch which was notable for a complete lack of seabirds apart from 2 Sandwich Terns in an hour.
No complaints though, as a cracking days birding with 18 species of waders noted.