Fieldfares

The Midrips - mild, cloudy, S 4 - An early morning visit to check the lagoons on the ranges drew a near blank on the wader front with just three Turnstones the only birds present, plus a few Curlew, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Knot along the foreshore. There was no sign of last weekends Lesser Yellowlegs, but that's not to say it isn't still tucked away somewhere in this large series of brackish lagoons. Whilst checking out a couple of Goldcrest in the coastguard cottage tamarisks five Fieldfares flew in off the sea, our first of the autumn.
  Fortunately the tide was still out enabling access to the ranges along the beach, although we only just made it back in time before the sea cut off our retreat to the wooden stairs through the sea defence blocks; clambering over the rocks by the guardhouse is a risky business when burdened with optics and a small terrier!

                                Sea defences, Jury`s Gap

Scotney - Another session searching for the Twite in blustery weather conditions also failed although there was a fair sized mixed flock of Starlings and Goldfinches around the farm buildings along with a few Chaffinch, Linnet, Stonechat and Mipit; the Twite could easily still be lurking somewhere hereabouts. On the front fields hundreds of feral geese, Golden Plovers and Lapwings.
Dungeness - From Hanson hide eight Blackwits, Dunlin and Goldeneye the highlights, plus the usual wildfowl and egrets, a Peregrine, Goldcrest and Chiffchaff. On the fields at Boulderwall at least five Cattle Egrets amongst the cow herd and several hunting Marsh Harriers and Buzzards. A windswept Burrowes was predictably quiet with just the usual egrets, wildfowl and Cormorants on show.