18/01/2024

A pre dawn visit to the ARC to see the roosting Swans was great disappointment as it seems none of them roosted there last night unless they left very early, however the 2 Woodcock I saw just as the sun peeping over the horizon made the effort more than worth while, a Cattle Egret flew over as did 2 Great White Egrets but no sign of any Glossy Ibis today.

I met Richard in the ARC car park where a Barn Owl did a very brief fly through, we decided to walk across the reserve to Dengemarsh. On the Boulderwall Fields 21 Barnacle Geese still along with feral Canada, Greylag and Egyptian Geese and a few Common Snipe, but nothing notable. Dengemarsh was very quiet, but we decided to carry on and walked right around the reserve. A single Raven flew over Scott but no sign of any of the hoped for Smew on Burrowes or anywhere else today, we couldn't even find any divers this morning, but apparently a single Great Northern and the Black-throated Diver were still present  per JY. A few more Common Snipe were seen on our way back to the car park.

This afternoon I checked the Camber Pools where this Mistle Thrush was highlight of my visit as I seldom see them these days, on the way I checked the Scotney lakes and again on the way back but very little there apart from 9 Dunlin and 2 Ringed Plovers the first I have seen this year.

One of the Lydd Little Owls late afternoon