First Green Sandpiper

Lade - 0600hrs - hot, dry and sunny, NE 3 -  Plenty more moths in the garden MV these past two nights, but nothing new for the year. As the heat wave continues down here on the coast we`ve been treated to a cooling sea breeze, tempering things somewhat.

                                    Six-spot Burnets by the ponds

            

                                Lade south, a new island plus Avocet

                               Barney cooling off on a damp towel


  On the local patch it was all action on the breeding bird front with plenty of young Coots, ducks and grebes on the water, while Reed and Sedge Warblers were busily cramming insects into hungry fledglings around the reedbeds. The Cuckoos were still calling and I noted the rufous female again this morning.
  As the water level steadily drops revealing an exposed island at the south end of the main lake an Avocet found it very much to its liking amongst the gulls and Coots.
Dungeness - On a sultry Burrowes this morning Pochard numbers had rocketed since my last visit, while Little Ringed Plovers look to be nesting on the shingle islands.

                                Post breeding Pochards on Burrowes

                                Mute Swan with `Polish` cygnet, ARC

  At Lydd allotment this evening, after picking the produce (last Strawberries, first Peas and  Courgettes) and watering, I checked an adjacent House Martin colony on the housing estate where it was good to see several little heads poking their heads out of mud nests under the eaves with the adults flying in with food.
  A walk down to the Screen hide on ARC on the way home delivered our first returning Green Sandpiper of the season in amongst the Lapwings and Little Ringed Plovers. Cuckoo, Hobby and Marsh Harrier also noted, plus plenty of wildfowl on the lake including a Mute Swan with a rare all white `Polish` cygnet.