Spring migrants

Dungeness - cold, cloudy, sw 4 - A superb day guiding across the peninsula for our guest with a rush of spring migrants including our first Sedge Warblers of spring on the bird reserve, plus 10 Swallows, 20 Sand Martins, two Willow Warblers and 10 Chiffchaffs, a Little Gull on Burrowes, the Crane again on the Boulderwall fields and a cracking male Merlin over. Also on the reserve, 10 Ruff, two Dunlin, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Marsh Harrier, four Buzzards, six Tree Sparrows, two Goldeneye and Raven.

                                Little Gull on Burrowes

  At the point two sessions seawatching delivered hundreds of Brent Geese and Common Scoters through, plus a good supporting cast of Sandwich and Common Terns, Mergansers, Fulmars, Kittiwakes, Gannets, auks, Mediterranean and Little Gulls; also on the sea today the first Manxie of spring and several each of Great and Arctic Skuas (MC). On the land Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, 50 Linnets, 10 Mipits, five Skylarks, three Black Redstarts, four Wheatears and six Stonechats.

                  

                                Black Redstart and Stonechat around the Old Lighthouse

                                Two Wheatears on the beach