Bewick`s Swans and Fiery Skies

Walland Marsh - mild, overcast, s 2 - We started the day out on the Marsh at Horses Bones Farm where at least 13 Bewick`s Swans were feeding distantly in a field of winter wheat. A Great White Egret was noted on an adjacent sewer margin and a small flock of Redwings flew overhead.

                                Great White Egret, Walland Marsh

ARC - All the usual wildfowl here including Goldeneye, Pintail and a single redhead Smew. From Screen hide brief views of a Water Rail and Bittern, plus a Great Spotted Woodpecker on a power pole and couple of Chiffchaffs, Reed Bunting and Cetti`s Warblers in the scrub. From the water tower a scan of the Desert towards the airfield turned up several Marsh Harriers, a pale Common Buzzard and a distant ringtail Hen Harrier.

                                Long-eared Owl, Dipping Pool

RSPB - On the fields at Boulderwall plenty of Wigeon, Lapwings, Golden Plovers and the like, plus Great Whites and a Cattle Egret, several Snipe and the wintering drake Ring-necked Duck. Despite the low afternoon light the Long-eared Owl showed reasonably well in the willows behind the Dipping Pond. On Burrowes all the usual wildfowl and gulls, including Caspian/Yellow-legged types from the islands in front of Makepeace hide.
  Elsewhere today the Black-throated Diver remained on Brett`s pit at Scotney, more Caspian Gulls were found at The Patch while the five Snow Buntings were reported along the foreshore between St Mary`s Bay and Littlestone mid-week. So, anyone coming down this weekend should be assured of a decent days birding around the Peninsula.

  One of the meteorological events of this past week have been the spectacular sunrises and sunsets across the flatlands, as testified by the fiery skies over Lade Bay yesterday morning.