Sand Martins and Chiffchaff

Lade - 0730hrs - cold, cloudy, sw 2 - Despite the return to gloomy weather a singing Chiffchaff in the willow swamp was a promising sign of the changing seasons. Yesterdays Shelducks had disappeared only to be replaced by a veritable `influx` of six Egyptian Geese, four of which were sat atop the wall `mirror` at one stage. Two Marsh Harriers quartered the airport fields and a Sparrowhawk set about a Starling flock without success.

                                Egyptian Geese, Lade

1400hrs - This afternoon whilst checking the Black-headed Gull colony on Kerton Road pits (20  birds already claiming nest sites on the island) two Sand Martins skimmed over the lake for five minutes before heading inland, and were easily my earliest record down here. Infact, Sand Martins can be thin on the ground as a spring migrant at Dungeness, which is in complete contrast to the return passage, from July to September, when tens of thousands pass through the peninsula.
Also around the pits were several pairs of Oystercatchers and Shelducks showing signs of preliminary nuptials and three Linnets overhead.

Ducks, harriers and an Iceland Gull

Lade - 0730hrs - mild, dry and sunny, sw 3 - Started the day on the pits with the monthly WeBS count. Predictably numbers were down on last month, although four Shelducks were new. Still no sign of any spring migrants.
Dungeness - Just as we`d finished the count news came through from TG and DR of an Iceland Gull flying past the seawatch hide heading for the Patch. By the time we arrived on site the 1st winter bird was flying over the boil and occasionally landing on the sea amongst hundreds of commoner gulls. Eventually it settled on the beach amongst the throng which gave me time to catch up and have a natter with David Roche who`s been staying locally for a few days.
Two groups of 50 Brents went up-Channel and the Ravens were active over the power station. On the beach opposite Jarman`s Black Redstart, Skylark and Stonechat noted.

                                          Barn Owl, Walland Marsh


 Walland Marsh - Joined Marshman this afternoon for the last of the winter harrier roost counts  where 13 Marsh Harriers came in at two separate reed-bed sites. A Barn Owl showed well as we watched it catch and devour a small rodent. Also noted six Ruff, three Buzzards, 20 Fieldfares, 15 Reed Buntings, a flyover Great White Egret, Sparrowhawk and Snipe, plus calling Water Rail and Cetti`s Warbler.
The day finished with a fine sunset and a mink sighting on way home.     

Woodland walk

Lade - mild, dry, sunny, sw 3 - The much vaunted Saturday heat wave never really materialised down here on the coast due a keen westerly that remained throughout the day. As a result the pits and desert were fairly bleak with no sign of any spring interlopers.

                                Park Wood primroses

Park Wood, Appledore - However, it was a different story up in the woods where it was much warmer and more spring-like, with small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies on the wing and  celandines and primrose in flower. Overhead several Buzzards wheeled and mewed along with Sparrowhawk and Kestrel. All the usual woodland birds were noted including drumming Great spots, Green Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tits, Bullfinch, Treecreeper and Nuthatch, while Barney flushed a Woodcock.
Crossing the Marsh more Buzzards and two Marsh Harriers were noted, plus a few Fieldfares at Wheelsgate - but where were the Little Owls when you want to find one and impress your five year old grandson...
Lade - I did consider flashing up the garden moth trap this evening, but what with the clear skies and wind thought better of it. However, last night at around 9pm I was coming back from collecting Barney from friends when a Barn Owl flew over my head as it followed the track of the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch light railway south towards Dungeness. Then this evening whilst walking Barney over the storm beaches, admiring a blood-red sunset, a Barn Owl appeared, quartering the shingle ridges, and a most welcome sight it was too. Barn Owls are one of those birds that no matter how long you`ve been birding cannot be ignored, along with the likes of Bittern, Kingfisher and Firecrest.

Spring sunshine

Dungeness  - 0830hrs - cold, dry, sunny, w 2 - There was no real change from yesterday along the beach with Black Redstart, Skylark and Pied Wagtail still present, plus good views of a Merlin hunting around the fishing boats. Offshore there was around 600 Great Crested Grebes on the sea.

                                Black Redstart, Dungeness

Galloways - From the range road the two Cattle Egrets were just about in view behind the chicken sheds. Over on the Brett`s pit side of the circular road we parked up and walked the fence line taking in the gorse thickets on the army land where at least eight Cetti`s Warbler were in song along with several Reed Buntings, Chaffinches, Wrens, Robins, Dunnocks and Stonechats. A Raven sat atop one of the pylons while a Green Woodpecker and Mistle Thrush flew over.

                                Raven, Galloways

Scotney - A decent enough session here with a Black-necked Grebe on the road side pit along with three White-fronted Geese and all the expected common wildfowl. The walk out back yielded singing Tree Sparrows, Pied Wagtails, Corn and Reed Buntings, Skylarks and Mipits in the linseed fields, plus distant Buzzards and Marsh Harriers over towards the wind farm. On the new pits 12 Avocets, 30 Shelducks, 20 Pintails, five Egyptian Geese and the wintering Scaup amongst plenty more common wildfowl, Redshanks, Oystercatchers and four Little Egrets.

                                Corn Bunting, Scotney

                                Spring lamb, Scotney

                               Sunbathing Starlings

Lade - Whilst working in the garden this afternoon the local Herring Gulls went ballistic as two Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk headed north along the coast.

Red-crested Pochard

Dungeness - 0830hrs - cold, dry, sunny, nw 3 - For a change of scene we went down the point this morning for a wander along the beach from the lifeboat station to the concrete road. Two Black Redstarts and a singing Skylark was the sum total of migrants, plus a Kestrel and Sparrowhawk while Barney flushed a brown hare.
At the Patch c1,000 Black-headed Gulls were amongst lesser numbers of Common, Herring, Lesser and Great-black Backed Gulls. Two more Black Redstarts perched up on the power station complex while the roosting gulls were checked for yesterdays hybrid without success.
The EA and contractors have moved in big style along the concrete road in preparation for shingle moving operations which are planned to commence on Friday.

                               Black Redstart - what`d you mean, where is it!

RSPB - Could only find two Smew on Burrowes, where also 10 Goldeneyes and hundreds of Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler. Egret numbers appeared to have declined around the reserve with just singles of Little and Great White from Dennis`s hide. The drake Red-crested Pochard looked wild and resplendent on the dipping pond...
On the way out a Green Woodpecker flew over the access road, but disappointingly there was no sign of a weasel hitching a ride...

                                Red-crested Pochard, dipping pond

Lydd - The two wintering Cattle Egrets were lurking in a ditch at the bottom of Dengemarsh Road, while a pair of Marsh Harriers displayed over Hookers reedbed. A Raven flew over `cronking` loudly with two attendant crows giving it a hard time.
Out at Horse Bones farm on Walland the wild swan field was empty, so I presume the Bewick`s have returned north to breed. Which made me think that the next fortnight or so can be one of the quietest periods of the year as the winter visitors clear out and before the main pulse of spring `uns arrive.

Searching for the spring...

Lade - cold, wintry showers, sw 4 - The past couple of mornings has seen us trudging around the local patch in a biting wind searching for signs of spring; but with Smew and Goldeneye still on the lakes and large flocks of waders in non-breeding plumage on the beach, winter remains firmly in control. On Greatstone beach more barrel jellyfish continue to be washed up on the tideline.
However, if the weather lords are to be believed by the weekend we should be bathed in a plume of warm air coming up from the south and be awash with Wheatears and Sand Martins... mmm, we shall see...

 

                                Beach dog

                                Beached jellyfish

                                Beach waders

Flotsom and Jetsom

Lade - mild, dry, sunny, sw 4 - Following a  blustery wet night it was good to see some blue sky and sunshine this morning, although with a keen wind out of the west. Continuing with our staying-local-on-a-Sunday regime we worked every corner of the local patch: Mockmill - Snipe, Stonechat and Water Rail; Desert - first Skylark of the year (not that I`m year listing, of course); south lake - 12 Dabchicks, two Goldeneyes the highlights; willow swamp - Smew; north lake - more Goldeneyes and two distant Marsh Harriers over the farmland.

                                Shorebirds, Lade

                                Squid eggs, Greatstone beach

And so to the beach where the tideline was smothered in masses of glutinous squid eggs, shellfish and a few barrel jellyfish. It often happens this way after a rough night; unfortunately there was also plenty of man-made plastics and detritus from commercial fishing boats. On the bay an ebb tide had already attracted a decent selection of returning waders including, 300 Oystercatchers, 100 Sanderlings, 50 Dunlins, 25 Bariwts, 30 Knots, 55 Curlews and 12 Grey Plovers.