Dotterel

Cold and wet, SE 3 - A grim day of weather with a heavy overnight frost followed by wintry showers. On the way back from Folkestone this morning I stopped off at Hythe to check out the sea defence blocks for Purple Sandpipers but drew a blank; likewise at St Mary`s Bay along the foreshore checking for Snow Bunting and Lydd Airport fields for Dotterel. Not a great start! However, across the coastal farmland and bird reserve 11 White-fronts were amongst Greylags at Dengemarsh, four Cattle Egrets at Cockles Bridge, two Whooper Swans at ARC, the drake Green-winged Teal showed well enough on a near island at the Makepeace end of Burrowes and a 1st winter Caspian Gull from Dennis`s hide. The weather deteriorated somewhat by late afternoon with heavy sleet and snow showers, just as Martin C had located the Dotterel on fields opposite Cockles Bridge on the airport side, which I managed to see before lights out. Plenty of Golden Plovers, Lapwings, Stock Doves, corvids, Skylarks and several Buzzards were also noted throughout the day.

                                  Egyptian Geese, Lydd

                                  Green-winged Teal, Burrowes

                                  Wintry New Romney