Barwits on the Beach

Dungeness - cold, cloudy, ne 4 - 0845-1045hrs - A two hour seawatch from the hide produced a trickle of Gannets, Common and Sandwich Terns, Common Scoters and Whimbrels, 18 Barwits, Kittiwake, Fulmar, 2 auks and singles of Bonxie, Arctic Skua and Red-throated Diver. There was at least 10 porpoises feeding just off shore.
  It was quiet on the land in the brisk north-easterly but we did manage to find a cracking cock Black Redstart on the power station fence. A circuit of Long Pits delivered a Ring Ouzel, several Whimbrels over calling and six species of common passage warblers in the scrub.
Burrowes - We spent some time grilling a flock of around 100 hirundines over the lake, mostly Swallows, plus 20 Swifts, 20 Sand and 10 House Martins. There was no sign of yesterdays Black-necked Grebe, but a Common Sandpiper was our first of the year. Quiet too on ARC down to the pines apart from a mixed flock of 20 Linnets and Chaffinches and a Sparrowhawk.
Lade - We finished on the local patch in some style with 45 Barwits, on the beach from the Tavern (many in spanking breeding plumage) 40 Dunlins and 20 Sanderling, while two Sandwich Terns landed amongst the waders to bathe in the shallows. A few more Swallows were noted on north lake.
A decent couple of days birding with Lew around the peninsula ended on 105 species, including Barn Owl and Bittern seen and heard respectively at Boulderwall.