A wader day

Dungeness - cold, overcast, S 2 - 0830hrs - Spent a most enjoyable day guiding for Trevor and Janet. We kicked off with a highly profitable one hour seawatch from the concrete road during which time we rattled up 50 Red-throated Diver, 70 Brent Geese, 20 Guillemot, 15 Common Scoter, 20 Gannet, 20 Kittiwake, Shoveler and a Mediterranean Gull, all east bound. A pair of Skylark also showed particularly well.
Littlestone - As the tide was still out we scanned the foreshore opposite the old lifeboat station where there was extraordinary numbers of gulls and waders running into several thousands. Dunlin, Sanderling and Oystercatcher each numbered over 700, while good numbers of Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, Curlew, Knot, Grey Plover, Turnstone, Redshank (50) and Ringed Plover made for an impressive supporting cast. All the common species of gulls noted, plus several Mediterranean and one Little Gull from the Varne boat club.
RSPB - We spent the afternoon on the bird reserve where the Boulderwall fields and lagoons were full of birds, mainly Golden Plover, Lapwing, Wigeon and Starling, plus three Smew on Tanners pool, Great White Egret, Stock Dove, Kestrel and the usual Tree Sparrows, tits and finches on the feeders. On Burrowes a 1st winter Glaucous Gull was present on an island in front of the VC, while at Dengemarsh, Marsh Harrier, Snipe, Raven and a large flock of Linnets were logged. We finished the day at ARC with 500 Wigeon on the still partially frozen lake and two singing Reed Buntings.
  A cracking days birding in fine company during which time we noted 70 species of birds. The highlight was the large numbers and variety of waders on Littlestone beach.