Southbound Swifts

Lade - 0700hrs - cool, sunny, nw 3 - A chilly night resulted in little activity around the Plovers trap with only 25 macro moths of 15 species, although it did included two each of Garden Tiger and Snout.
Over the pits the only noteworthy event was a passage of several hundred Swifts south, mostly high up in the clear blue sky.
Romney Marsh - Had a mooch around the farmland tracts where the oil-seed rape and barley harvest was in full swing. Apart from a few gulls, Lapwings and a couple of Buzzards there was little of note, while a field near Newchurch was already under the plough, no wonder its a bird less wasteland out there.

                                Newchurch, Romney Marsh

Burrowes and ARC - Pretty quiet with only a handful of waders including six Blackwits on ARC and a couple of Dunlins on Burrowes, while yesterdays Great White Egret remained on Dengemarsh.
Scotney -  With news of a female Montagu`s Harrier reported on the farmland out back we went in search, but drew a blank. All the usual Yellow Wagtails and Corn Buntings noted on the fields, plus two Spoonbills, five Avocets and two Common Sandpipers on the pits and two Little Owls on a barn.
Dungeness - 1500-1630hrs - We joined PB at the fishing boats for the slowest seawatch ever: six Gannets and a few terns, a Grey Seal and a Porpoise in 90 minutes. However, its never a dull moment down here and we were fascinated by the clarity of light over the sea which enabled us to pick out landmarks across to Boulogne, such as the wind turbines on the harbour wall, Napoleon on his tower and the Basilica on the hill above the town. We could even make out the traffic flowing (unlike the M20...) on the autoroute and easily see the chalk cliffs of Cap Gris-nez.
Also of note were at least 100 Swifts heading across the Channel, so high they looked like gnats.