Whimbrels and warblers

Dungeness - warm, dry and sunny, ne 2 - A warm, hazy day and yet another poor couple of sessions seawatching for the end of April. The first one around mid-morning did produce two Black Terns, a trickle of Common and Sandwich Terns, Gannets, Common Scoters, Whimbrels and Barwits. The afternoon hour from the fishing boats turned up hundreds of Barwits and Whimbrels up-Channel, plus an Arctic and Great Skua, Kittiwake, Guillemot and best of all a flock of 22 Arctic Terns with two Little Terns.
 On the land around the old lighthouse several Stonechats, Black Redstarts, Whitethroats and a Greenland Wheatear, plus a pair of Peregrine on the power station and pylons. We also noted plenty of Small Copper butterflies on the wing.

                                Stonechat

                                 Greenland Wheatear                             

                                Whimbrel, Boulderwall

                                Cattle Egret, Hayfield

  There was plenty to see around the bird reserve today where at least 50 Common Terns had moved onto Burrowes; also Common Sandpiper, Dunlin, Barwit and Whimbrel on the islands. On the Hayfields more Barwits, Whimbrels, Redshank, Lapwing, two Cattle Egrets and a flyover Spoonbill.
Also, four Hobbies over Hooker`s, `booming` Bittern, Cuckoo, Raven, displaying Marsh Harriers, plus Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats all over the place.