Scotney Wildfowl Refuge

Scotney - mild and murky - Spent the morning checking for grounded passerines on the front fields around the farm and outback. Mipits and Goldfinches were most numerous along with lesser numbers of Pied Wagtail, Skylark, Stonechat, Starling, Chaffinch, Linnet, Reed and Corn Buntings, but not a sniff of a Twite. A Green Sandpiper flew down the main sewer by the conveyor belt, while Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Kestrel and Merlin noted outback.

                                One of two Whooper Swans outback

                         Only a few years ago Egyptian Geese were unknown here

  The wetlands were full of geese; over 2,000 mainly Greylag, Canada and Barnacle Geese along with 110 Egyptian, two White-fronts, a Bar-headed and a number of hybrid Snow/Emperor type, plus 150 Mute Swans and two each of Black and Whooper Swans, also of unknown origin (but probably as wild as the Barnacles); the swan flock was feeding in a rape-seed field beyond the dung heap.
  Plenty of Wigeon, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Cormorant and gulls were on the front fields, plus ten Redshanks and two Ruff.

                                "I`m getting too old for this"

Lade - A late afternoon meeting with RSPB on the local patch produced two Dartford Warblers, Great White Egret, Marsh Harrier and hundreds of Jackdaws over to roost. Also this afternoon CP found a swift flying over the Cockreed Lane/St Mary`s Lane area of New Romney.