Brent Geese

Mild, overcast, dry, SE3 - The Brent Goose passage is one of the great autumn birding spectacles at Dungeness as the dark-bellied race from northern Russia vacate their tundra breeding grounds for the milder climes of the estuaries of southern England and northern France. An hour at the fishing boats and another from the seawatch hide with the locals produced over 1,000 geese, some close enough to be heard, others way out it the Channel as wisps of `smoke`, great stuff. Almost as impressive was a large flock of Gannets feeding out to sea, probably on mackerel being pursued by tuna. Also noted 50 Common Scoters, several Mediterranean Gulls, Red-throated Divers, Wigeons and Shovelers, a Little Gull, a Merganser, three Pintail and a Sooty Shearwater. For a full account of this morning`s seawatch checkout the trektellen website updated by Martin. In contrast the land was very quiet.

    Brent Geese on the move, Dungeness

Called in at the bird reserve on the way home where the usual Cattle Egrets were on the Boulderwall fields, while a Slavonian Grebe had joined two Black-necked Grebes and a Red-throated Diver on Burrowes.