Two Long-tailed Ducks

Lade - mild, cloudy, light airs - I`ve suspected for a while that there may have been two Long-tailed Ducks on site at the same time, and this morning it proved to be with both birds together on south lake. Cannot remember seeing two before on a gravel pit lake, so a pretty unusual record. The Slavonian Grebe was on north lake while the Dartford Warbler was chattering away in the gorse scrub just south of the tunnel.

                                Two Long-tailed Ducks, south lake

                                Slavonian Grebe, north lake

Dungeness - Nipped into the bird reserve to see the wintering Long-eared Owl which for once was showing well at roost behind the Dipping Pool and drawing quite a crowd of birders. Elsewhere, a pair of Smew were at Christmas Dell and the Black-throated Diver on Dengemarsh.  

                                Long-eared Owl, Dipping Pool roost