Mild, wet, and windy, SW 3 - With the winter solstice upon us it always seems to me that we`re turning a corner towards steadily longer days with the eventual prospect of spring on the horizon. However, for now the natural world is still firmly in winter mode, and rightly so as the back end of the season often delivers the worst of weather along with food shortages. Out and about across the Marsh this past week has seen us lose the cold polar air for a milder, yet wet and windy, airflow from the Azores. As a result much of the local farmland is super-saturated, attracting thousands of Lapwings and Golden Plovers along with a lesser numbers of Ruff, Snipe and Curlew; particularly at Dengemarsh and the fields beside the airport road where the wintering Dotterel was last reported. Walland Marsh continues to host an increasing herd of 40 odd Bewick`s Swans (including at least 15 juveniles) and up to 20 White-fronted Geese, mainly on arable land to the south of Brookland. Around the bird reserve the two Whooper Swans are regular visitors to the ARC lake, the drake Green-winged Teal is still on Burrowes along with a selection of Caspian Gulls, while Dartford Warblers have been reported from the circular trail. The fields at Boulderwall and along the Lydd Road to Cockles Bridge continue to attract two Glossy Ibises and up to 10 Cattle Egrets.
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