The Doldrums

Lade - mild, dry, cloudy, light airs - The past few days birding the local patch has been a bit like the weather, much the same. Still, I`m not complaining as it has been calm, dry and relatively mild for what is, after all, mid-winter and this morning there was a spectacular sunrise over the bay to greet the day.
  On the lakes wildfowl have increased with Teal, Pochard and Tufted Duck all over 200 each in number and Wigeon up to 80. Goldeneye are also on the up with 10 today, but there`s still no sign of any Smew or Slavonian Grebe, both of which are expected sometime over the coming weeks. Elsewhere around the site this week: Bittern, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Water Rail, Caspian Gull (adult), Snipe, Green Woodpecker, Kingfisher, Skylark, Stonechat, Cetti`s and Dartford Warbler, Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit and Goldcrest.

                                Sunrise over Lade bay

  On the bird reserve the three Cattle Egrets are still present between the Boulderwall fields and Cockles Bridge, up to 30 Bewick`s Swans are on Walland Marsh between Lydd and Midley at Horse`s Bones farm, a Woodlark has remained faithful to a stubble field at Pigwell, Lydd and the two Whooper Swans are still in fields outback of Scotney. Otherwise its the usual wintering seabirds offshore at Dungeness, waders in the bay and wildfowl and egrets around the bird reserve.