Pomarine Skua
Because of the persistent cold strong North Easterly winds, I have been mainly sea watching which has been surprisingly rewarding but very time consuming and tiring, though the latter is probably an age thing.
I have managed to see an amazing 33 Pomarine Skuas powering up the English Channel in the last few days which I believe is very unusual here so early in the "Pom" season. Several 1,000s of Common Scoter have moved east past Dungeness along with Arctic and Great Skuas, Common, Sandwich, Little and a single Black Tern, 200+ Little Gulls, 100s of Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwits, at least 3 Manx Shearwaters, Divers, Grebes, Ducks etc.
This afternoon I walked around a very windswept reserve, a couple of Bitterns were booming, Sedge and Reed Warblers were heard rather than seen as were Common Whitethroats, a party of 5 Swifts over Christmas Dell are unusually early, more Whimbrel and Godwits could be found virtually all the fields around the reserve, at least 2 drake Garganey at Dengemarsh, several Yellow Wagtails and all the usual suspects. The Iceland Gull was still at The Patch this morning.
Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwits and a Turnstone
1 of a party of 5 Swifts over Christmas Dell this afternoon
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