Dungeness - warm, dry and sunny, W2 - After the deluge of yesterday it was good to get out and about around the peninsula on what was a fine winter`s day, and warm too after the overnight frost had dispersed. The sunshine certainly encouraged plenty of birders into the field, and it was good to catch up with some old friends I`ve not seen for a while and have a natter. I started at Lade with five Goldeneyes (my first of the winter there) on south lake along with the usual array of Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall and diving ducks, plus Marsh Harrier, Little Egret, Cetti`s Warbler, Chiffchaff and Green Woodpecker. Moving onto Dungeness where hundreds of Gannets were feeding offshore along with the customary auks, Red-throated Divers, Kittiwakes and rafts of Cormorants. At the Patch I just missed the Iceland Gull amongst the gull melee over the boil and along the foreshore, but did connect with two Black Redstarts, Grey Wagtail, Meadow Pipit and Chaffinch in the power station complex.
There was little of note on a busy bird reserve apart from 10 Goldeneyes across ARC and Burrowes, two Pintails on Burrowes, several Marsh Harriers, two Great White Egrets and thousands of Cormorants on both waters. At least five more vocal Chiffchaffs were present and a `pinging` Bearded Tit from the Screen hide, although I could find no sign of the redhead Smew from yesterday. Elsewhere: 23 Bewick`s Swans at the back of Lydd, four Cattle Egrets along the Lydd Road near Cockles Bridge and 180 Curlews on Romney Salts. I finished the day at the fishing boats with a one hour seawatch where more of the aforementioned seabirds from earlier were noted, plus three Wigeon up-Channel and a Grey Seal offshore. All in all, a most enjoyable day`s birding.
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