Sea ducks

Dungeness - cool, sunny, e 3 - 0730 - 0845hrs - The portents were not good when we arrived in the seawatch hide with the regulars reporting "slow going". However, things soon picked up and it turned into a tidy little seawatch with a steady flow of Common Scoters providing the bulk numbers of sea duck along with small parties of Shelducks, Mergansers, Pintails and Shovelers, plus one or two Gadwall and Teal. Single figures of seabirds included auks, Red-throated Divers, Fulmar, Sandwich and Common Terns, Little Gulls, Kittiwakes and Gannets, plus Dunlin, Sanderling, Oystercatcher and our first 2 Whimbrel of the spring. A Marsh Harrier flew in off the sea prompting comments about "passport control" and to cap off a splendid hour an immature Iceland Gull flew west along the beach. Phew! At least 15 porpoises were counted feeding just offshore along with a lone grey seal.

                                Slavonian Grebe, New Diggings

ARC/New Diggings - 1300hrs  - A few Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers were in the bushes down to the pines, plus 5 Shelducks and Swallows on ARC. From the causeway road the Slavonian Grebes showed well and a Common Tern sat amongst the gulls and ducks on the ARC side.

                               Brents on migration, Dungeness

Dungeness - Back to the seawatch hide for another brief session delivered a steady passage of Gannets, some of which paused to feed, two flocks of Brents and Common Scoters, 2 Arctic Skuas and up 20 Little Gulls.