Sea Mice and Bird Scarers

Lade - 1100hrs - cool, sunshine and showers, sw 3 - A slightly better day than yesterday with lighter winds, but still one or two hefty showers. As the sun was shining Mrs PT decided to join us this morning on a circular walk from the cottage, along the beach, up Kerton Road and back home across the desert by the quarry. As the tide was on the way in the entire Oystercatcher flock of c650 birds flew past us and pitched up to roost on the shingle near the Pilot. A mixed flock of Barwit, Knot and Grey Plover also flew past while it was good to see 20 Ringed Plovers on the beach opposite Kerton Road. Of interest along the tideline were a number of brightly coloured Sea Mice.
The walk beside the quarry was notable for large numbers of roosting gulls and a Peregrine sat on a shingle ridge out on the desert.

                                Barney, Lade desert (one of his favourite walks)

                                Sea Mouse, Lade beach

Bird Scarers at Dungeness - From tomorrow, Monday 3rd Feb, Dungeness A Station will be using bird deterrents in an attempt to prevent (mainly Herring Gulls) nesting prior to demolition, that is due to take place over the coming months.
An open letter from the site to local residents states, "Methods include various audible devices including agricultural Bangalore Bird Scarers and Audible Corvoid Deterrents along with visual deterrents such as decoys and kites". It goes on to say the methods have been, "agreed with an ornithologist".
I guess that means the two Schedule One breeding species, Peregrine and Black Redstart, both of which nest on the power station complex, will have to look elsewhere this spring, along with the localised breeding Wheatear and Raven; although it remains to be seen how effective such scarers will be and whether B station or the switching house will be effected.
I suppose the other conundrum is what effect will it have on migrating birds?
All we can do is wait and see, so watch this space...