South-easterly Seawatch

Dungeness - 0900hrs - cold, overcast, light rain, se 3 - That rare beast, a south-easterly wind availed itself on Dungeness this morning, but as is so often the case with trying to predict suitable seawatching conditions it failed to deliver very much at all. We arrived late due to breakfast duties and as the heavy machinery was in action shifting shingle by the seawatch hide opted for the fishing boats. After a quick chat with PB & MH on the concrete road I wasn't expecting much and so it turned out to be with a 45 minute watch delivering single figures of Gannet, Sandwich Tern, Red-throated Diver, Kittiwake, Oystercatcher and Med Gull. On the sea just offshore were the usual Great Crested Grebes, several Guillemots and Red-throats. We then moved to the old coastguards lookout for another half an hour from where it was much the same, plus 5 Common Scoter and the long staying 1st winter Glaucous Gull patrolling the foreshore.
RSPB  - An afternoon visit to various parts of the bird reserve delivered very little apart from the usual wildfowl, Little Egrets, Marsh Harriers and a few Chiffchaffs, although the Slavonian Grebe was reported from Burrowes and a Firecrest in the scrub by Scott hide.