Warm, dry and sunny, light airs - Breeding Common Terns have had a tough time across the Dungeness wetlands this summer, mainly due to stubbornly high water levels covering suitable nesting islands and `tern rafts` already being occupied by Herring Gulls. However, although it may appear to be late-in-the-day, recently water levels have subsided enough for small numbers of terns to settle down and attempt to breed on both Burrowes and ARC lakes; also, today I noticed a pair on the new raft on Lade south, so all may well not be lost. A juvenile Marsh Harrier was also present hunting over the willow swamp, presumably from one of three breeding pairs locally. Kerton quarry harboured good numbers of wildfowl, grebes and feral geese, plus 10 Oystercatcher, 10 Lapwings and a Common Sandpiper with several each of Yellow Wagtail and Swift over heading south. Over the weekend visits to Hanson hide produced five Avocets (inc a pair with two juvs) and a few passage Little Ringed Plovers, Common and Green Sandpipers, Black-tailed Godwits and Dunlins, plus a Shoveler with juvs, a Great White Egret, 10 Common Terns (inc three sitting birds) and the usual massed ranks of wildfowl, grebes and Coots. Also over the weekend there was confirmation that a Bittern had fledged two juveniles on ARC.
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