Waders and egrets

Dungeness - warm, dry and cloudy, sw 2 - We commenced a Birdwatching Break for Clare and Peter this afternoon at Scotney where the usual range of wildfowl, gulls and feral geese noted, plus c50 Yellow Wagtails, 10 Curlews, a Mistle Thrush and Sparrowhawk.

                                Juvenile Ruff

                                Juvenile Moorhen

                                Cattle Egret

   Moving onto ARC where a host of waders and egrets were present in front of Hanson hide, occasionally being spooked by up to four different Marsh Harriers and a Sparrowhawk. Waders included 186 Golden Plovers, 150 Lapwings, 10 Dunlins, four Ruffs (including a smart juv), four Ringed Plovers, four Black-tailed Godwits, two Redshanks, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover. Also, Cattle and Great White Egrets, five Little Egrets, plenty of Gadwall, Shoveler, Teal, Wigeon and a Garganey, plus hundreds of Sand Martins, 10 Common Terns and two Black Terns over the lake. 
  We finished the afternoon at the fishing boats where nothing much was happening apart from some close Sandwich Terns and Gannets, two Common Scoters up and a distant Arctic Skua. On the land several Wheatears, a Skylark and a flock of Linnets and Starlings.