Pirate Springs - warm, cloudy, NE 2 - For our Ted walk this morning we birded the field in front of the golf links and along the foreshore from Littlestone to St Mary`s Bay on the high tide. The rough grassland attracted a couple of small flocks of Goldfinches and Linnets feeding on weed-seeds beside the fairways where a Stonechat and a Kestrel also noted, plus a few grounded Skylarks and Meadow Pipits on the hillocks and the fence line. I always think the habitat hereabouts looks suitable for a rare pipit, and in my time it has attracted the likes of Shore Lark, Red-backed Shrike, Lapland and Snow Buntings in autumn, but not today... However, along the beach a count of 68 Turnstones was of note, along with a scattering of Common Gulls, and towards St Mary`s Bay at least 110 Mediterranean Gulls on the sea and flying over. Further out a trickle of Sandwich Terns headed towards Dungeness and several Gannets fished the bay. On the walk back along the promenade, back garden tamarisks held one or two Robins, Great Tits and Chiffchaffs.
