Lade - mild, overcast, rain, w 2 - Another shocking day of weather with rain on and off throughout, some of it heavy. During one of the breaks a wander over the pits revealed the usual wildfowl on south lake, plus a Swift amongst the hirundines over the willow swamp. A few parties of Siskins and Mipits passed overhead, plus a single Grey Wagtail.
Dungeness - 1400hrs - An hour from the fishing boats during another respite in the rain was notable for a constant flood of hirundines, mainly Swallows, making the Channel crossing. Birds were skimming the shingle between us only a few feet away, being driven on by some internal body clock that says, "it`s time to go". It doesn't matter how many times I watch this spectacle it never fails to impress; the wonders of migration and all that, sounds corny, but there you go, I`m easily pleased.
As for seabirds, well, apart from a high Bonxie heading west and a Black Tern it was mostly all about a steady flow of 100 Sandwich Terns, plus 20 Common Terns and an Arctic Skua in the bay cadging a free meal.
Here on Sheppey we had the same mass movement but here the major birds were House Martins and Sand Martins and I had c.800 House and c.500 Sand Martins in just an hour early on.
ReplyDeleteIts that time of year when you get a good mix of all 3 species of hirundines, although the Sand Martins will mostly be gone by the end of the month here. Always a great spectacle though, trouble is its a reminder that winter`s not far away...
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