Red-necked Grebe

Friday - Dungeness - Cool, sunshine and cloud, w 2 - A wander down to the Patch delivered a juvenile Little Gull and Yellow-legged Gull over the boil. On the beach several Sandwich and Common Terns amongst a mix of Black-headed, Herring and Black-backed Gulls. Plenty of Gannets and terns offshore, although mostly distant with Arctic Skuas, and at least one Bonxie, chasing the terns. Black Redstarts have been thin on the ground this summer so it was good to see a flock of five, plus a Robin, feeding along the shingle bank by the sea defence blocks, where also a few Mipits and a Wheatear.
  On Burrowes this afternoon a juvenile Red-necked Grebe showed distantly from Dennis`s hide. Also over the lake two Black Terns and the long staying Little Stint from Firth hide.

                                Black Redstart, Dungeness

Lade - The Osprey was seen again late morning from the aerial ramp over Kerton Road pit. On north lake a Black Tern and Black-necked Grebe. There were several Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests in Plovers garden this morning.

Saturday - Lade - cool, cloudy, nw 2 - A nippy start to the day with few moths in the garden MV totalling a meagre 12 species. The island on south lake however was far more interesting with a party of Common Terns and two each of Ruff and Redshank. Yet again there were few ducks on the waters but plenty of grebes and a Black Tern over north lake. The passerine count was, as expected, pitiful with a score of Swallows and Sand Martins over the Desert and a just a few Chiffchaffs in the willow swamp. However, spectacle of the day went to the 800 or so Greylags that noisily flew over the site heading towards the bird reserve.

                                Standing room only on south island

                                Two Ruffs

                                Greylags over Lade

Dungeness - Had a run out this afternoon where the juvenile Red-necked Grebe (rare here) was still over the far side of Burrowes from the viewpoint by Dennis`s hide. There was very little else of note on Burrowes though apart from four Great White Egrets, five Pintails, three Ruff and a Ringed Plover.
At the point a brief seawatch from the boats was terminated by a heavy rain shower, but little was on the move apart from four Wigeon down Channel and a steady trickle of hirundines out. The usual Gannets, Sandwich Terns and Arctic Skuas were performing offshore.
The Osprey was seen again today across the peninsula and four Spoonbills dropped onto Dengemarsh late afternoon.