Late Swallows

Dungeness - mild, cloudy, light airs - Following torrential overnight rain flood water was everywhere on the drive down to the point first thing. However, in the still, dry conditions there were a few birds to be seen, mainly Starlings, Dunnocks, Robins and Wrens. Four late Swallows flitting around the old light were the pick of the bunch and they didn't seem to have any trouble finding flying insects. Also, near the Patch, two Black Redstarts, 10 Goldfinches and a Chiffchaff on the power station wall; a Firecrest in the lighthouse garden; several Stonechats in the scrub and single figures of Siskin and Redpoll over. A search along the beach opposite Jarman`s for a late Wheatear yielded little apart from a few Skylarks and Mipits, while the Shore Lark remained faithful to the puddles by the fishing boats.
  The bay at Littlestone at low tide held six Black-tailed Godwits amongst the regular six species of waders, plus 23 Sandwich Terns on the sands. An afternoon check of the local patch in warm sunshine revealed nothing much of note apart from a couple of Goldcrests by the ponds and two Marsh Harriers quartering the far reedbed on south lake.