Lade car parking

Lade -cold, showery, sw 4 - In contrast to the weather glories of yesterday this morning was a shocker with heavy, wintry showers throughout blowing through on a scudding wind. We did the circular walk and got a right old soaking on the return leg. With the tide up several small flocks of waders had pitched up on the beach to roost, among them Sanderlings, one of my favourite waders of which there are currently about 700 hundred on the bay.
  On the pits the Long-tailed Duck remained on south lake amongst the usual ducks, grebes and Coots. 

                                Mixed flock of Turnstone, Dunlin and Sanderling

                                Sanderlings, Lade beach

NB: The recent influx of visiting birders to Lade pits has caused one or two parking problems for local residents in Derville and Seaview Roads, particularly at weekends, with driveways being blocked and, in at least one instance, damage to a garden wall. Both these roads are narrow, dead ends with limited turning options and are best avoided when visiting site.
  The official RSPB line is to guide birdwatchers to the car park (free) at Lade toilet block on the coast road, opposite the Taylor Road junction and follow the footpath sign down Taylor Road and onto the NNR. However, I can see no problem parking closer to site along Leonard Road, between the Derville Road and Beechmont Close junctions, or in either of the two cul-de-sacs of Prior and Channon Roads, both of which have turning circles.
  I`d like to think that most visiting birders park considerately anyway, but hopefully if the above parking suggestions can be used it may avoid any further incidents and subsequent complaints to RSPB who now own and manage Lade pits. 

A day of Twos

Lade - cold, dry and sunny - A stunning morning following an overnight frost with bright sunshine throughout and, for once, not a breath of wind. South lake still had wisps of mist rolling across the surface first thing within hundreds of ducks, grebes, gulls and Coots scattered across the mill-pond. The two Long-tailed Ducks showed well alongside 12 Goldeneyes, including several stunning drakes, while a pair of Great Crested Grebe performing their head-shaking nuptials hinted of the coming spring. But for now this was a winters day to saviour.

                                Early morning mist over south lake

   The Dartford Warbler has become a regular late autumn migrant, in small numbers, to the scrublands across the Dungeness NNR over the past few years. Normally the majority move on as winter arrives, but not so this year with a minimum of ten individuals scattered across the peninsula from Lade to the Kerton Road triangle, the Dungeness Estate and the bird reserve. There are probably a few more yet to be discovered on the more remote parts of the Desert, Galloways and the Army ranges.
  This morning while trying to photograph the `resident` bird at Lade, to my surprise, up popped a second one, both of whom seemed to be following a pair of Dunnocks around, probably as some sort of early warning safety policy in case of a Sparrowhawk attack. Elsewhere, Stonechats are popular indicators of a Dartford Warblers presence. 

                                Dartford Warblers and Dunnock enjoying the sunshine

Dungeness - 1400hrs - On the way back from Lydd this afternoon we called in at Hanson hide where two Bewick`s Swans had just dropped in on ARC amongst the ducks and Lapwings. The first I`ve seen on here in good light this year, and they posed well for the photographers in the hide. On the far side of the lake a Black-throated Diver was down more than up as it fished and a Bittern could just about be discerned on the edge of a reedbed across the near channel. From Screen hide we had flight views of a Great White Egret and Marsh Harrier.

                                Bewick`s Swans, ARC

  A superb days local birding with the twos prevailing of: Long-tailed Duck, Dartford Warbler and Bewick`s Swan.

A thousand Oystercatchers

Lade - mild, cloudy, sw 3 - There was not much change on the local patch over the weekend apart from two Long-tailed Ducks showing on south lake yesterday (could only find one today) and a noticeable increase in diving ducks. Shovelers were still present in good number topping out at 220. Chiffchaff and Goldcrest continue to be latched onto a large tit flock in the willow swamp while several different Marsh Harriers hunted over the site.
  From the Tavern viewpoint 1,050 Oystercatchers was our first four figure count for a while with a combined Sanderling and Dunlin flock in similar numbers. Also of note 60 Knot and 30 Barwit, plus a Bonxie harrying the waders and gulls along the tideline.   

                                Lade bay looking towards Hythe

Dungeness - Plenty to see here this morning with a 1st winter Little Gull at the Patch, a Dartford Warbler by Channel View and the usual Caspian Gull at the fishing boat puddles. Offshore, Razorbills were in the ascendancy over Guillemots, plus the usual Kittiwakes, Great Crested Grebes and only a few Red-throated Divers and Gannets further out.
  A tour of the bird reserve delivered a drake Smew, 10 Goldeneye and six Goosanders on Burrowes, plus a male Peregrine that flew in for a bathe scattering the thousands of Lapwings and gulls. From Christmas Dell, Slavonian Grebe and a redhead Smew, and two Great White Egrets on Dengemarsh. The Boulderwall fields were full of thousands of Lapwing, Golden Plover, Wigeon, Coot, feral geese and Starling, plus another Great White and two Little Egrets. From the causeway road the Black-throated Diver could be seen on ARC. All in all a pretty decent mornings birding.
 

                                Bathing male Peregrine

                                White Nun on Burrowes

Elsewhere today the two Tundra Geese were still among the Greylags from the double bend at Scotney and the Bewick Swan flock was reported on Walland Marsh near the wind farm.

Fog and Lemsips

Lade - For the past few days I`ve been laid low by a nasty bout of man-flu which has restricted birding activities and made me stir crazy - and that`s after just one day indoors! "What would you be like if you had a `proper` illness", said my sympathetic partner, and she`s right of course, as I pathetically mooched about the cottage sneezing and moaning and generally feeling sorry for myself. Even Barney gave me a pull-yourself-together kind-of-a-look.
  And then last night I saw the weather forecast, sunshine and light winds for Friday, excellent, just the job for a morning in the field... Except they failed to mention anything about the thick fog which shrouded the peninsula for most of the morning, followed by low cloud, and lack of sunshine. Still, they got the wind speed about right, so it wasn't a completely useless forecast.
 However, off we went into the mist to Dungeness where it was so dense that a seawatch was pointless. We then joined PB, who`d just reported a Glaucous Gull at the Patch, for a plod around the bushes via the moat and down to the Trapping Area, where a few passerines such as Dunnock, Starling and Blue Tit was about the sum total.
  A scan across south lake at Lade delivered the wintering Long-tailed Duck in the murk among the usual wildfowl, after which we called it a day and headed home for the Lemsips.
  Elsewhere today, when the mist lifted, two Dartford Warblers were noted at the point, a Black-throated Diver on ARC, plus Smew and Slavonian Grebe from Christmas Dell hide on the bird reserve.

Seabirds

Dungeness - mild and windy - Joined the local seawatchers at the fishing boats this morning with a brisk south-westerly wind running up-Channel. Plenty of auks, Great Crested Grebes, Gannets, Kittiwakes and the like were on the move or fishing, some close to shore, plus several Fulmars and two east bound parties of Brents totalling 100 birds. The usual 1st winter Caspian Gull was loafing by the puddles.

                                Seabirds off Dungeness

Lade - Difficult viewing conditions on south lake today, but the Long-tailed Duck was still present. In the shelter of the willow swamp Chiffchaff, Cetti`s Warbler and Goldcrest noted.

Boulderwall wetland

Boulderwall Fields - 0800hrs - mild, wet and windy - Had to call in at the RSPB workshop this morning so checked out ARC first where 30 odd Bewick`s Swans left the roost heading for a days grazing on Walland Marsh. The Black-throated Diver was on the water but distant, while the usual wintering wildfowl included several Goldeneye, Pintail and Shelduck. Down at the pines a Sparrowhawk broke cover and both species of woodpecker were noted.
  There was plenty of Tree Sparrow and tit activity on the bird feeders, plus Greenfinch and Reed Bunting. The recent heavy rainfall has transformed Boulderwall fields into a wetland haven with hundreds of Wigeon, Coot, Curlew, feral geese, Stock Dove, Lapwing, Starling and gulls enjoying the rich pickings. A Peregrine flushed thousands more Lapwings and Golden Plovers from the fields towards Lydd. We walked around to Gun Club pool where a redhead Smew was present and a wisp of four Snipe flushed by a passing Marsh Harrier. Great White and Little Egrets, Grey Heron, Buzzard, Stonechat, Cetti`s Warbler, Meadow Pipit also noted, plus two Foxes. 
  Elsewhere on the bird reserve this morning the Glaucous Gull was on Burrowes, a pair of Smew at Christmas Dell and a Slavonian Grebe on Lade south.

Glaucous Gull & Dartford Warbler

Dungeness - mild, cloudy, sunny later, light airs - Spent the day guiding for Cedric from Sussex in spring-like weather. We kicked off at the fishing boats where the sea was covered in Cormorants, Great Crested Grebes and Guillemots, plus a scattering of Kittiwakes, Razorbills, Gannets, a Bonxie and a flock of 110 Red-throated Divers moving between the bays. News from PB at the Patch told of a 1st winter Glaucous Gull showing well on the beach and just as we arrived a 1st winter Caspian Gull dropped in! A Peregrine and Kestrel were located on the power station structure, while a tour of the point turned up a pair of Stonechats by West Beach, with a smart Dartford Warbler in tow, a Black Redstart by the moat and a flock of 20 Mipits, Pied and a Grey Wagtail by the seawatch hide corner. Dunnocks seemed to be everywhere in the scrub, singing, courting and establishing territories.

                                1st winter Caspian and Glaucous Gulls

                                Dunnocks were highly active this morning

                                Male Stonechat

Lade Bay - We checked the bay on a rising tide at three locations clocking up seven species of waders including both godwits and Knot. At Lade car park a chuckling Starling showed well in bright sunshine.

                               Starling with bracelet

Scotney - All the usual feral geese were on the front fields, plus Pintail and Wigeon, while outback more feral geese and swans and two Grey Wagtails around the farmyard.
Dengemarsh - Finished up at Springfield Bridge where the Linnet/Chaffinch flock noted on the weedy field, plus Marsh Harrier, Great White Egret, Golden Plover and the usual range of wildfowl on the reserve.
  A decent days birding for our guest, in fine winter weather, during which time we noted a typical range of wintering species with particularly good views of the Glaucous Gull and Dartford Warbler.