Bee-eater

Lade - warm, dry and sunny, N 2 - A circuit of the local patch first thing produced what I thought was a Bee-eater calling over the Desert, but I wasn't sure; however, a second visit early afternoon confirmed it was a `rainbow bird` when its distinctive rippling call was followed by a sighting high up over the shingle flying towards the water tower. There was little else of note apart from a few Mediterranean Gulls over and a distant Grey Plover.
  A good show of butterflies were on the wing in the warm sunshine along the old railway track, including several smart Common Blues, Small Heaths and Coppers and a Grizzled Skipper.
  An evening visit in still conditions to look for Bee-eater drew a blank, but was compensated by a confiding male Whinchat on the Desert fly-catching from dead plant stems. This was my first of the spring on the local patch where it is a scarce passage migrant, but slightly more numerous on the return.

                                        Whinchat, a scarce spring migrant

                                Common Blue

Dungeness - Checked out Burrowes around midday where all was quiet after yesterdays double rare tern event. A small flock of Curlews contained a Whimbrel and several Bar-tailed Godwits, while Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Redshank also noted.
  The Serin was again reported from Littlestone, singing from the clump of pines opposite the golf club entrance (SG).