Monday 30 September 2013

Grasshopper Warbler makes my day!

No posts over the weekend more due to tardiness than the fact that the birds present on Friday were still about at the weekend. In fact there was not much change today today.
45 minutes from the sea watch hide produced:
Balearic Shearwater: 1W
Brent Geese: 147
Wigeon: 128
Teal: 32
Arctic Skua: 2 off shore
Common Tern: 1 off shore
Sandwich Tern: c10 off shore
Meadow Pipit: c100E
Swallow: c300E
Pied wagtail:16E
Wheatear: 4 on beach

In the Desert 10 Song Thrushes were probably continental birds.
While I was plodding around The Desert,a Penduline Tit flying south over the trapping area(DW) probably flew over me, but with my hearing no chance. 
Sunrise over the ARC from Plodland this morning.

 I'd like to be able to say I took the above shot today at the ARC, but in fact about the best I will get there is one the below of the 2 Pectoral Sandpipers. I took the one above on October 7th 2007 at Pagham Harbour.
2 Pectoral Sandpipers
 A couple of visits to the ARC  saw 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 3 Little Stints, a Curlew Sandpiper, 5 Greenshank, 3 Ruff, 3 Curlews, and a Red-crested Pochard  were of note.
At the end of the Willow Trail I flushed a Grasshopper Warbler(very scarce at Dungeness) from the damp grass at the side of the path, it flew up into the Sallows allowing a few seconds viewing with the bins before dropping into the Juncus.
Stock Doves behind the pines
Making my way to The Pines I received a text from SB that a Ring Ouzel was there. In the short time it took me to get there it had disappeared. Fortunately SB relocated it albeit distantly.
While there a flock of c100 Stock doves was flushed by a Marsh Harrier, there was also a few Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Lesser Whitethroat.
15.30-17.00 from the fishing boats:
Brent Geese: 2E
Gannet: n/c
Common Scoter: 12E
Arctic Skua: 2 off shore
Little Gull: flock of 6W and 1E
1w Mediterranean Gull: 1W
Sandwich Tern: n/c
Trickle of Swallows east
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 3+
Not the best 90 minutes sea watching. Had that total been a few years ago in Shoreham West Sussex  where I used to live I would have been delighted.

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