Cattle Egrets

Dungeness - cool start, warm and sunny later, light airs - A circuit of the point first thing delivered a few migrants in the shape of two Wheatears, Blackcap and Whinchat around the lighthouse area, plus a Tree Pipit, several Yellow Wagtails and 100 Sand Martins over, 50 Linnets, 200 Starlings and a Raven. At the Obs Cetti`s Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher were good to see in the hand.

                                Cetti`s Warbler

                                Adult Spotted Flycatcher

  News came through late morning concerning a flock of Cattle Egrets amongst the cows at Boulderwall - all 11 of `em! During two visits this afternoon I could muster eight birds, although they were following a distant herd of cattle so the others could easily have been tucked away in ditches or behind reeds. This is certainly the largest flock I`ve seen in this country and by all accounts is a Dungeness, if not a Kent record.
 Whilst scanning the fields three Marsh Harriers, two Buzzards, Kestrel and Hobby noted, plus a trickle of Yellow Wagtails and martins overhead.