Post Doris

Dungeness - 0700hrs - cold, sunny, nw 3 - An early morning sortie down to the Patch revealed the two 1st winter Iceland Gulls still present, one over the boil, the other settled on the beach. Also amongst the throng of gulls at least two Mediterranean Gulls, while a Peregrine put in a brief appearance scattering the loafing gulls on the power station. A quick look at the sea revealed very few seabirds, as confirmed by the two stalwarts in the hide.

                               Sunrise, Dungeness

 As for Storm Doris, once again the Met Office over-egged the pudding, and while blustery yesterday it was nowhere near as strong as Storm Barbara in November that caused widespread damage down here.
Lade - After doing a few chores, a circuit of the local patch in pleasant sunshine produced the usual wildfowl, plus singles of Smew, Slavonian Grebe and Great White Egret. It was also good to see a few Reed Buntings about the willow swamp, plus a pair of Stonechats on the Desert and a Chiffchaff by the caravan park.
  Around the bird reserve this afternoon the Ring-necked Duck, Slavonian Grebe and Long-eared Owls were all on station, plus Pink-footed and White-fronted Geese, Smew and Great White Egret scattered here and there.