First Hobbies

Dungeness - 0900hrs - cold, sunny, nw 2 - With seawatching a non-event due to the wind we searched the land around the point for migrants and came up with 10 Wheatears, 10 Willow Warblers, 10 Whitethroats, two Chiffchaffs, two Mipits, plus singles of Stonechat and Whinchat by Jarman`s. A decapitated male Sparrowhawk was an odd find by Lloyd's cottage which I could only assume was the result of a Peregrine attack. The guests also enjoyed a Willow Warbler being processed at the Obs having been caught in the Heligoland Trust, many thanks to Lee. Plenty of Small Coppers were basking in the moat and a Stoat was seen.

                                Wheatear

                                Small Coppers

                                Headless Sparrowhawk

                                Willow Warbler, DBO

RSPB - We spent most of the day on the bird reserve where the highlight was our first three Hobbies of the spring hawking insects over Dengemarsh, as always wonderful birds to watch and let`s hope for many more to come. The usual range of warblers showed well and the Bittern was still ` booming` at Hooker`s. On Burrowes, a Grey Plover, two Greenshanks, 10 Dunlins, a pair of Pintails and the long-staying Ring-necked Duck, plus the Boulderwall Tree Sparrows, a Common Sandpiper on New Diggings and 10 Whimbrels across the site.

                                Greenshank, Burrowes

ARC - An evening visit down to the pines delivered another `booming` Bittern and a mixed flock of hirundines over the water. We finished off back in the Desert where two Ring Ouzels were briefly seen following a tip off from LG.