Warm, dry and sunny, SW 4 - Superb weather for a guiding day with Mark from Lexington. We started down at Greatstone where yesterdays Hoopoe had kindly stayed over affording cracking views in the sand dunes as it probed the sandy soil for invertebrates. Moving onto Lade where Lesser Whitethroat and Willow Warbler were noted by the ponds along with Chiffchaff, Reed Warbler and several Common Whitethroats. Next stop the ARC where more common warblers were heard along with ten Shovelers on the lake and the first of several Marsh Harriers and Common Buzzards
Scotney produced at least five stunning Yellow Wagtails outback, plus 20 Avocets, 50 Mediterranean Gulls, a pair of Teal and a Green Sandpiper along the Jury`s Gut Sewer, while a Little Owl showed briefly at Pigwell. Back at the bird reserve we logged a smart drake Garganey at the far end of Cook`s Pool as well as six Cattle Egrets and a Great White Egret. Burrowes was quiet with just a single Common Tern of note amongst 50 Black-headed Gulls and the usual wildfowl, while the hayfields held three Little Egrets, six Avocets, Redshanks, Lapwings, Shelducks and a Greenshank over calling. We finished the day at Dungeness with three Wheatears on the beach, a few seabirds and an incoming Swallow. The warmth also brought forth a rash of flying insects including Peacock butterflies and Hairy Hawker dragonflies. A good days birding in great company during which we logged 78 species with the Hoopoe the undoubted highlight.
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