Sunday 27 November 2016

Black-throated Diver

Lade - mild, cloudy, n 2 - After a fraught few days driving to West Sussex and moving our Kate into a new flat, and yesterday`s frustration at dipping the Forster`s Tern by an hour, it was good to get out and about birding today. Despite the local Folkestone and Hythe birders scouring the coastline the tern was not relocated.
  However, this morning we worked the local patch where a Dartford Warbler in Mockmill Sewer was the highlight along with several Stonechats, Mipits and Reed Buntings. South lake attracted a couple of hundred roosting gulls with at least one adult Caspian Gull amongst the Herring and Black-back flock. A Marsh Harrier quartered the far reedbeds, while two Goldeneyes were on north lake.
Dungeness - A wander along the foreshore by the fishing boats (optimistically hoping for a passing tern...) revealed nothing more than a trickle of Kittiwakes, Gannets, auks, two Mediterranean Gulls and a Red-throated Diver.


                               Ring-necked Duck, Boulderwall

  On the bird reserve the Ring-necked Duck showed well at Boulderwall, as did a Bearded Tit. The Cattle Egret was a little more elusive further out amongst the stock, along with hundreds of Wigeon, Lapwings, feral geese and the like, plus a number of Grey Herons, Great White and Little Egrets. On Burrowes, where the islands are fast disappearing under water, there was plenty of wildfowl including Pintail, Goldeneye and Goosander and hundreds of Cormorants. From Firth hide an adult Yellow-legged and a 1st winter Caspian Gull.
Scotney - Yesterday`s Black-throated Diver remained on Brett`s pit to the west of the caravan park where it showed like a good `un.


                               Black-throated Diver, Scotney

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