Scaup

 Cold, dry and sunny, NE 3 - Day two of guiding for the Worcester and Malvern birders found us heading west into Sussex. En-route the mixed flock of Cattle and Little Egrets were in the paddock at Cockles Bridge while a pit-stop at Scotney delivered little more than a few Curlews, the usual common wildfowl and a Ringed Plover. The wintering immature drake Scaup at Camber showed well on the far side of the lake along with a selection of gulls, Wigeon, Gadwall, Great Crested and Little Grebes, a singing Mistle Thrush and a pair of distant Ravens and 50 Curlews on the Guldeford Levels.

                                 Scaup, Camber

From the viewing platform overlooking Castle Water reedbed we had good views of another Raven calling overhead, plus plenty of Cormorants preparing to nest, singing Cetti`s Warblers and a Kestrel. The circular route around the beach reserve delivered a host of Curlews, Redshanks, Ringed Plovers, Dunlins, Oystercatchers, Turnstones and two Snipes with a pair of Pintail being the highlight amongst a number of Teal, Wigeon, Shoveler, Gadwall and Shelduck, plus 10 Dabchicks, several Little Egrets and a Grey Heron. In the harbour channel two Brown Seals were noted along with three Brent Geese, more Turnstones, Ringed Plovers, a few Skylarks and a Meadow Pipit; unfortunately we missed a Short-eared Owl by ten minutes from the Gooders`s hide. Our next port of call was Pett Level where we added Mediterranean Gull, Sparrowhawk and a distant Fulmar on the cliffs to the trip list, plus feral geese and Curlews on the levels and a few more waders on the beach. We finished the day back at Dungeness from the Hanson hide where several Marsh Harriers made the wildfowl nervous and the pair of Glossy Ibis flew in as we left the hide. The two day trip list totalled 98 species with the highlights being: Hume`s Warbler and Firecrests at Sandgate, harriers, egrets and ibis at Dungeness, wild swans on Walland, Scaup at Camber and shorebirds at Rye Harbour.