Lade Bay - cool, dry and sunny, NW 4 - Spent some time today checking out the waders across the bay. This morning at Littlestone, around the groynes, there were 35 Turnstones and 12 Redshanks along with a selection of Dunlins, Sanderlings, 15 Knots, two Grey and four Ringed Plovers on the mud further out, plus a Wheatear on the shingle beach, a trickle of southbound House Martins and Swallows and a Raven `cronking` loudly overhead.
This afternoon on the neap tide I checked out the Lade to Greatstone section where the light was superb, which makes such a difference to viewing and counting. Oystercatchers topped 1,000 (at least four with blue and red colour rings), Curlews 300 and Bar-tailed Godwits 30, one of which came close enough for a few piccies. Whilst chatting to Owen L a pair of Black-tailed Godwits joined the throng making 11 species of waders in all. Wildfowl noted included ten Brents on the sea and one on the sands, 20 Wigeon, five Teal and a Pintail. 140 Sandwich Terns resting on a sand bar briefly attracted the attention of a marauding Arctic Skua before it returned back out to sea along with a few passing Common Scoters, Cormorants and Gannets.
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