Lade - cold, cloudy, nw 5 - Following a wet and windy spell of weather off the Atlantic, overnight the wind swung round to a much cooler northerly vector, but at least it was dry. Highlights this week so far across the local patch have included two Ravens flying inland `cronking` furiously, a Dartford Warbler by the cattery scrub, three Goldeneyes and a Great White Egret on south lake and a pair of Sandwich Terns lingering on the bay at low tide amongst increasing numbers of Mediterranean Gulls (20 on Tuesday). All ten species of waders are present somewhere between Lade and Littlestone, while at high tide Great Crested Grebes and a few Red-throated Divers could be seen fishing offshore along with several Grey Seals. This evening the clouds finally lifted affording spectacular views of the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter low in the south-western skies.
A couple of visits to the fishing boats this week produced spectacular numbers of Razorbills, Guillemots, Gannets, Red-throated Divers and Kittiwakes feeding/moving offshore, plus singles of Bonxie and Fulmar; earlier in the week brief sightings of Glaucous Gull (PB) and Leache`s Petrel (OL) were noted. Elsewhere, the White-fronted Geese remain faithful to the Lydd fields, despite the farmer`s efforts to deter them, and the wild swans are still amongst the Mutes on Walland. The Black-throated Diver was on ARC yesterday, although I could find no sign of the Dusky Warbler, and a 1st winter Iceland Gull was at the Patch this morning (DBO). The bird reserve is now closed over the Christmas period until Sunday 27th.
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