On the Border

Pett Level - mild, dry, sunny, w2 - No, I don't mean the Al Stewart song! Together with CP we spent the day birding the border lands, of - East Sussex, and very good it was too with the flooded fields and pools full of waders, wildfowl and a wintering Glossy Ibis. At least 500 each of Curlew and Lapwing were the star turn with many close to the road and looking magnificent in the bright sunshine, particularly the peewits with their showy iridescence. Roosting Redshanks and Dunlins, Oystercatchers and a Green Sandpiper completed the suite of waders on the fields.
Further out a couple of hundred Greylags contained 19 White-fronts and 9 Brents. Raptors included several Marsh Harriers and a Peregrine over the levels and 5 Buzzards thermaling above the sandstone hills in the warm sunshine. A scan down to Cliff End revealed Fulmars wheeling to and fro beside their nesting ledges and several Red-throated Divers on the sea, while along the foreshore  Turnstones, Grey and Ringed Plovers were added to the wader tally.
A walk down to Carter`s flood revealed a sorry old sight of a dilapidated hide and the lagoon overgrown with reeds and scrub.

                               Glossy Ibis, Lapwing and roosting waders, Pett Level

Castle Water -This afternoon we walked to site along the back track from Winchelsea Beach where 6 Egyptian Geese, Little Egret, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Long-tailed Tits noted along the way. From the hide the expected collection of common wildfowl, Cormorants and several Marsh Harriers.

                                Camber Castle

                               Castle Water

Scotney - From the double bends there was no sign of the Bean Goose amongst the Greylags, although the Black-necked Grebe was still present on the water with the diving ducks.
We finished the day in fine style back on Romney Marsh with a Short-eared Owl quartering a field in golden, late afternoon light.