Bonxies & Bean Geese

Dungeness - 0900hrs  - warm, dry and hazy, se 2 - We soon located the requested Wheatears, Skylarks, Mipits and Linnets before heading for the concrete road and a seawatch with MH and CP from 0915 - 1045hrs. A steady flow of Gannets, Common and Sandwich Terns were fishing offshore with some on the move up-Channel along with, six Bonxies, two Arctic Skuas, 40 Brents, two Med Gulls, 16 Whimbrels and a Kittiwake. Several harbour porpoises and a grey seal were feeding just offshore.
Whilst admiring the early purple orchids a small copper basked on bare earth and flowers, although we failed to find a Black Redstart on the power station.

                                Small Copper, Dungeness

Scotney - From the double bends we were surprised to see two Bean Geese on the grass, one of which had a dodgy looking wing. Avocet, Ringed Plovers and Little Egret were noted from the lay-bye, plus Yellow Wagtail and Corn Bunting by the farm. 

                                Bean Geese, Scotney

Galloways - Plenty of Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers and Linnets in song plus a couple of Stonechats and a soaring Buzzard, with another one on the outskirts of Lydd.
Burrowes - Very quiet here with just Wigeon, Shoveler and a flyover Greenshank of note from the hides, plus Tree Sparrows and Willow Warbler around the car park. On the Discovery pond we had cracking views of a pair of Dabchicks with five juvs.
Lade Bay - On the gravel pits two two Black-necked Grebes on north lake. We checked the bay on an incoming tide from the Varne where 18 Barwits included four in summer plum. Two Knot also noted, plus 15 Sanderling, four Dunlin, 100 Oystercatchers and 35 Curlews.