Cormorants and egrets

Dungeness - cool, cloudy, nw 2 - 0900hrs - A brief seawatch from the hide delivered good views of an Arctic Skua clobbering Sandwich Terns, distant Gannets, two Brents, a Mediterranean Gull and a Grey Seal. Several more Med Gulls were at the Patch amongst the melee of gulls. The land was quiet apart from a mixed flock of tits, Chiffchaffs, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a calling Yellow-browed Warbler in the Trapping Area.
Lade - A check for the Osprey on the lakes drew a blank, but Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, roosting Curlews and plenty of wildfowl and grebes all noted. The bay revealed a few Sanderlings, a Barwit and Oystercatchers also sitting out the high tide.

                                Feeding frenzy, Burrowes

                                Black-tailed Godwit

RSPB - We spent the rest of the day on the bird reserve where the main spectacle on Burrowes was a flock of 10 Great White and 13 Little Egrets in company with 100 fishing Cormorants, plus an assortment of gulls and Grey Herons. The mud in front of Firth hide attracted a Blackwit, three Dunlins, two Golden Plovers and singles of Snipe and Grey Plover, amongst a host of Lapwings, gulls and dabbling ducks. From Makepeace, Goldeneye, Rock Pipit, Peregrine and an exhausted House Martin which kept landing on the hide flaps were the highlights.

                                Exhausted House Martin

                                Bittern, Dengemarsh

Dengemarsh was notable for several Marsh Harriers, more Snipe, a Ruff and good views of a Bittern, plus Bearded Tits and Cetti`s Warbler heard from the viewing ramp. We finished the day from Hanson hide where more wildfowl, Lapwings, Dunlins and Marsh Harriers were logged.