Great Northern Divers

Lade - cold, sunny, e 3 - A cracking morning for a circuit of the local patch where we were joined by CP who`d come by to help lift and shift some furniture at Plovers (many thanks again Chris). All the usual wildfowl were noted on the lakes, plus three Goldeneyes that dropped in, while a Marsh Harrier terrorised the Coot flock. Back along the beach the recent strong onshore winds and high tides had taken their toll on the sand dunes at Greatstone. As the tide raced in across the sands we teased out nine of the regular ten wader species including close views of Knot, Grey Plover and Sanderling.

                                Greatstone sand dunes

                                Knot

Dungeness - 1330 - 1530hrs - After a torrid lifting and shifting session (which involved removing a few doors and much grunting and groaning) and a spot of lunch, we headed for a seawatch at the fishing boats where we were joined by PB and MH. The highlight of the watch was a Slavonian Grebe on the sea amongst the Great Crested Grebes and three westbound Great Northern Divers. Also noted a steady flow of Kittiwakes, Guillemots, Gannets, a few Red-throated Divers and several parties of Brents and Common Scoters.

                               UK Border Control

Black-throated Diver

Lade - mild, cloudy, n 2 - After a fraught few days driving to West Sussex and moving our Kate into a new flat, and yesterday`s frustration at dipping the Forster`s Tern by an hour, it was good to get out and about birding today. Despite the local Folkestone and Hythe birders scouring the coastline the tern was not relocated.
  However, this morning we worked the local patch where a Dartford Warbler in Mockmill Sewer was the highlight along with several Stonechats, Mipits and Reed Buntings. South lake attracted a couple of hundred roosting gulls with at least one adult Caspian Gull amongst the Herring and Black-back flock. A Marsh Harrier quartered the far reedbeds, while two Goldeneyes were on north lake.
Dungeness - A wander along the foreshore by the fishing boats (optimistically hoping for a passing tern...) revealed nothing more than a trickle of Kittiwakes, Gannets, auks, two Mediterranean Gulls and a Red-throated Diver.

                               Ring-necked Duck, Boulderwall

  On the bird reserve the Ring-necked Duck showed well at Boulderwall, as did a Bearded Tit. The Cattle Egret was a little more elusive further out amongst the stock, along with hundreds of Wigeon, Lapwings, feral geese and the like, plus a number of Grey Herons, Great White and Little Egrets. On Burrowes, where the islands are fast disappearing under water, there was plenty of wildfowl including Pintail, Goldeneye and Goosander and hundreds of Cormorants. From Firth hide an adult Yellow-legged and a 1st winter Caspian Gull.
Scotney - Yesterday`s Black-throated Diver remained on Brett`s pit to the west of the caravan park where it showed like a good `un.

                               Black-throated Diver, Scotney

Woodcocks

Lade - The past couple of days has seen a subtle change in the weather from wet and windy to drier, but still windy conditions, as a high pressure system settles over the country delivering a north-easterly airflow. Yesterday it started off calm and a Short-eared Owl quartering the Desert towards the water tower was a delight to watch. We walked Mockmill Sewer where a few autumn Blackbirds and Song Thrushes lingered in the scrub and a Woodcock was flushed by Barney, one of only a handful I`ve seen this past couple of months.
  Around the pit margins Water Rails and Cetti`s Warblers were chattering away and two Marsh Harriers chivvied a flock of Coots for weaklings over by the `mirrors`. By the ponds a flock of Long-tailed Tits harboured a Chiffchaff and a couple of Goldcrests while a second Woodcock rocketed skywards from the willow swamp. Amongst a couple of hundred wildfowl on the lakes lurked a single Goldeneye and a pair of Pintails, the latter a scarce bird hereabouts.
  On the walk home the two Woodcocks got me thinking as to how scarce they`ve become over recent years. The latest Kent Bird Atlas shows a significant breeding range contraction across the county for no definitive reason. Many thousands are still routinely shot here in Britain during the winter months, particularly in the Western Isles and Cornwall, while millions more come to grief from Continental gunners. How anyone would want to shoot such a beautiful bird for so called `sport` is beyond me, but they do, and no doubt will continue to do so until, like the once common Eskimo Curlew, there are none left.

                                Raptor `Hill`

  Today was a different tale altogether on the local patch as the strong wind meant most birds were either hunkered down or sheltering in the willow swamp. Out on the Desert a mound of shingle (that passes for a `hill` in these parts!) delivered a smart Peregrine which eventually flew majestically over south lake to make a half hearted feint at a Woodpigeon. Over the years I`ve seen a number of raptors utilising this lookout point, particularly Hobbies in the summer and Merlins in winter.
RSPB - There was no real change on the bird reserve with the drake Ring-necked Duck and Cattle Egret still at Boulderwall, a roosting Long-eared Owl behind the Dipping Pond, Goosander on Burrowes and four Bewick`s Swans viewable from Cockles Bridge. Elsewhere, the Snow Bunting flock was reported from St Mary`s Bay.

Gulls and a Pom

Lade - 1000hrs - mild, wet and windy, se 4 - A grim morning with low scudding clouds and plenty of rain. After spending an hour trying to get a quote on yesterdays storm damage to the Plovers roof (we`re 31st on the builders list!) we headed out around the local patch where the only noteworthy sighting was a Great White Egret in the reedbed on south lake. Considering how many are present on the bird reserve across the Desert it`s surprising they don't drift over here more often.
Dungeness - 1445hrs - An hour at the fishing boats produced a mixed flock of around 200 Kittiwakes and Mediterranean Gulls feeding offshore. A few Gannets and auks zipped by and a juvenile Pomarine Skua rounded the point into Rye bay after beating up a Kittiwake.

Red Kites

Speen - We spent the weekend in the Chilterns visiting old friends where we managed to get out and about on two contrasting mornings weather wise: Saturday being cold and frosty, Sunday wet and windy. It was good to connect with species I don't often encounter back home on the Marsh, so the likes of Tawny Owl, Jay, Coal Tit, Woodcock and, of course, Red Kites. Also of note were good numbers of Redwings and Fieldfares, a few Skylarks, Mipits and Grey Wagtails and thousands of Woodpigeons leaving woodland roost sites.
  Twenty five years ago I visited the reintroduction site near Christmas Common in the Chilterns for an article in Birdwatching magazine, where over a five year period 93 kites were released into the surrounding countryside. The majority of birds originated from the Spanish population, with a handful from Sweden and Wales, and the first successful breeding was recorded in 1992 when four pairs raised nine young. The rest, as they say, is history, and today there is a thriving population of Red Kites in the Chilterns, such that wherever we went over the weekend these iconic birds were in view, even soaring over Prince`s Risborough town centre. 

                                Chilterns beech wood

                                Speen

                                Red Kite

                                Llamas

First Goldeneye

Lade - wet, windy, mild, w 4 - A pretty good session around the local patch this morning, despite some hefty showers, with the first Goldeneye of the winter on south lake amongst increasing numbers of Shovelers and Pochards. Sparrowhawk and Marsh Harrier were both hunting around the willow swamp where Cetti`s Warbler, Chiffchaff and Water Rail noted. Back along the beach on a rising tide seven species of waders were pushed in nice and close, including 50 Knots, 20 Barwits and 15 Grey Plovers. We sat it out watching the tidal flood until the Curlews and Oystercatchers departed to roost and three Grey Seals came in off the bay hunting flatfish.

                                Lade Bay waders

Long-eared Owl and Purple Sandpipers

Dungeness - mild, sunny, w 2 -Another warm day with temperatures rising to 15 C by early afternoon. At the Patch little of note apart from the usual mass of gulls, mainly Black-headed and Great Black-backs, and a couple of small flocks of Common Scoters moving into Rye Bay. Predictably, yesterdays Dotterel had done the off from the beach opposite Jarman`s.

                                Cattle Egret and Ring-necked Duck, Boulderwall

                                Long-eared Owl, Dipping Pool
RSPB - The fine weather and a rash of good birds had brought birders out in force and the car park was packed. Both the Cattle Egret and Ring-necked Duck showed well at Boulderwall where two White-fronts were in a distant Greylag flock in the fields. At the dipping pool a roosting Long-eared Owl draw an appreciative crowd while a 1st winter and an adult Caspian Gull were in front of Firth hide along with the full suite of their commoner congeners. Also on Burrowes amongst numerous wildfowl, grebes and Cormorants, a Goosander, five Goldeneyes, several Great White Egrets and three Blackwits.

                               Purple Sandpipers and Turnstones, Hythe seafront

Hythe - En-route to Folkestone this afternoon we called in at the Stade Street sea defence blocks where at least two Purple Sandpipers were present alongside 10 Turnstones.