Playing catch up!

Being otherwise occupied yesterday, I missed all the migrants at Dungeness, so I was delighted when I pulled up at The Point this morning to see 2 Wheatears feeding by the car park. On the way out to the sea watch hide 2 more Wheatears and a "Rubicola Stonechat".
08.30-09.30 Sea Watch
Red-throated Diver: 3W
Fulmar: 1E
Brent Geese: 478E
Common Scoter:   4E
Red-breasted Merganser: 7E
Sandwich Tern:  12E   3W
Also a few Gannets and Kittiwakes tooing and froing.

 On shore around The Point 8+ Wheatears, 6+ Firecrests, 3+ Black Redstarts, 6+ Chiffchaffs and then the rain came. At the southern end of the ARC Pit at least 1 White Wagtail in a party of c25 Pied Wagtails and a very bedraggled Rock Pipit probably Scandinavian flushed by a Marsh Harrier.

Time to pave the garden!

Doing chores today cost me an excellent sea watch this morning and an Iceland Gull this afternoon.
09.00-10.00 from the sea watch hide the highlights were 545 Brent Geese and 3 Sandwich Terns east (TG had already had the best part of 4,000 and 60+ before I arrived).
In the Lighthouse Garden 2 Chiffchaffs newly arrived with sticky black pollen on there foreheads and bill, 2 Song Thrushes and 2 Black Redstarts with at least 2 more around the Research Station.
At Boulderwall plenty of Tree Sparrows around the feeders, the drake Garganey was still on the first pool and 2 red head Smew were on the adjacent pool. With the spring arrival of BP the next couple of hours or so was spent by the pools chatting and watching Marsh Harriers and more chatting. As I had promised to mow the lawn this afternoon  I came home early, in doing so I missed an adult Iceland Gull at the fishing boats see    http://ploversblog.blogspot.com/

Plastic Geese

This morning 07.50-08.30 from the fishing boats there was no sea passage of note: just a few Gannets, Kittiwakes and Red-throated Divers tooing and froing and 2+ Harbour Porpoises.

The New Diggings held 1red head Smew, 3 Godeneye and the Great White Egret.

At the south end of the ARC Pit 2 summer plumaged Black-necked Grebes but always distant, while watching them a Bittern flew across the pit and 15 Avocet flew over towards Burrowes Pit  but ended up swimming in the middle of the ARC.

On the reserve the Long-tailed Duck was in its usual corner from Deniss's Hide. As I missed the Taiga Bean Goose yesterday I made my way to the viewing ramp to hopefully locate it. On arrival Owen was there and pointed out an Egyptian Goose in among the Greylags and Canada Geese but no Bean. Several Marsh Harriers were displaying and couple of Bearded Tits called. A plod around the back of Hookers and along the path towards Lydd found many more Greylags and Canada's but still no Bean. A lunch stop followed by stop at Boulderwall Farm pools produced the drake Garganey distantly. Back on viewing ramp now in the sun a Bittern was booming and the Harriers still performing but no Bean Goose. A late afternoon visit to Scotney found a party of 6 Snow Geese, quite probably the group that had been seen at Beachy Head earlier in the day, also a single Snow Goose with some Greylags. 

Cold and Gloomy Dungeness

In a cold easterly wind a short sea watch from The Point this morning, 09.00-09.30 produced: 71 Gannets E, 6 Kittiwakes E, 2 Guillemots E, 2 Great Crested Grebes E, 1 Red-throated Diver E.
On New Diggings 2 red head Smew, 3 Goldeneye, 1 Great White Egret and 2 Little Egrets.
On the ARC Pit  6 Goldeneye,  all the common dabblers, 2 Marsh Harriers displaying over the tower, 1 Chiffchaff in the Willow Trail and 4+ Cetti's Warblers singing.
On the reserve a fine drake Garganey on the first pool after Boulderwall Farm, the Long-tailed Duck still from Dennis's Hide, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits on Burrowes, it or another Great White Egret at the back of Hookers Pit with  4+ Marsh Harriers, also a Bittern booming there but no sign of yesterdays Taiga Bean Goose which was apparently associating with Canada Geese, but it reappeared this afternoon per CT.
At Scotney little of note but 1Snow Goose(unknown origin) and 2 more Marsh Harriers.
On Walland 20+ Tree Sparrows in the bushes adjacent to the feeders, 20+ Yellow Hammers and 10+ Corn Buntings by the rubbish pile in Tickers Lane.

   

A Plod In The Sun

In glorious spring weather very little of note today. Yestersdays Stonechat was still singing but had now moved to the power station perimeter fence. The sea was very quiet with nothing moving, even the Glaucous Gull eluded me today. On the New Diggings the Great White Egret with 2 Little Egrets and 1 red head Smew.
At the ARC still plenty of the common wildfowl, 2 singing Chiffchaffs, several Cetti's Warblers and 4 Marsh Harriers displaying high over the Tower Pits.
On the reserve a Snow Goose(unknown origin) flew over the car park and settled on Burrowes Pit for a few minutes before moving off east.
From Dennis's Hide the Long-tailed Duck and 48 Bar-tailed Godwits. A Great White Egret was at Christmas Dell, 5 Marsh Harriers and a Common Buzzard were high over Hookers Pit. 

Amnesia!

On a flat calm sea at Dungeness this morning very little of note: 300+ Great-crested Grebes and just a few Auks and Red-throated Divers. Off shore a few Gannets and Kittiwakes with just 6 Brent Geese moving east.

Met PT at the obs who told me about a singing Stonechat with a very white rump near the research station. On arrival the chat was soon located and the record images below taken clearly showing a particularly white rump and some bling. The bird was still singing and hunting in the company of its mate.  Any comments will be gratefully received. 

Nearby a single Black Redstart but no other migrants.
On New Diggings the Great White Egret, 2 Little Egrets and 1 red head Smew.
On the reserve the Long Tailed Duck, 38 Bar-tailed Godwits, 5+Marsh Harriers, 1 Common Buzzard and the Great White Egret flew into Dengemarsh.
On my way to the Harrier roost on Walland Marsh 2 Little Owls on the chicken sheds. Only 1 Marsh Harrier roosted in the reed bed I was monitoring, though there were a minimum of 9 in the area. A superb adult male Hen Harrier flew through at 16.50 and returned at 18.00 to roost in adjacent reed bed. Also seen at the roost 3 Common Buzzards, 4 Corn Buntings, several Water Rails squealing.
A big thank you to the lady who handed in my telescope that I left at the viewing ramp. Its becoming a habit.   

Trickle of migrants at Dungeness

Around The Point this morning 4+ Black Redstarts and my first Brambling of the year flew north. Off shore very little movement with just a very few Auks, Red-throated Divers, Kittiwakes and Gannets tooing and froing. The 2w Glaucous Gull was in the roost but regularly disturbed by dog walkers.
The Great White Egret and 4 red head Smew on New Diggings. At the ARC and Water Tower pits 3+ Chiffchaffs singing, 8+ Cetti's Warblers, a flight view of a Bittern, 4 Goldeneye and 4 Marsh Harriers tussling high over the tower.
The Long-tailed Duck was on view from Dennis's Hide as were 5 Goldeneye but little else of note.
Dengemarsh Gull was virtually devoid of avian activity apart from 4 Linnets.
At Scotney still 7 Snow Geese (unknown origin) and 2 Marsh Harriers in front the Wind Mills.

2w Iceland Gull

Visiting mum gave me the opportunity to drop in on the very obliging 2w Iceland Gull at Newhaven today.

Woodland Walk

As I only had the morning free and the sun was shining I had a plod around Orlestone Forest. In the car park many Great and Blue Tits feeding on french sticks that have skewered onto the bushes.
Plodding round the forest lots of bird song including Goldcrests, Coal Tits, Robins, Mistle and Song Thrushes, Nuthatches , Treecreepers Great Spotted, Green Woodpeckers and the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in his usual spot and a pair of Tawny Owls calling to one another with Common Buzzards mewing overhead. Still no Siskins and no Redpolls today and definitely no Marsh Tits but otherwise a very pleasant plod.

                                              A Few more Bittern Images from yesterday

When the sun comes out!

A sea watch cut short by the weather and nothing much happening apart from a few Brent Geese moving east and a few Gannets and Kittiwakes off shore. The 2w Glaucous Gull was hunkered down in the roost on the beach.
As the weather deteriorated I headed for the reserve and spent a couple of hours in Firth Hide in the company of DW, where we whiled away the time Gull watching, DW checking the colour rings and giving me a masterclass in Gull ID.


yellow-legged Herring Gull

 Leaving the reserve with the weather still abysmal before going to the ARC, a look at the New Diggings found 4+Smew and a soggy Great White Egret. When after an hour in Hanson the rain finally abated a superb drake Goldeneye flew in  and spent most the afternoon feeding and displaying near the hide.  

 As soon as the sun came out for a short spell a movement caught my eye. A superb Bittern stalked out of the reed bed climbed on to a clump and sat in the open preening for the next half hour enabling me take another couple of hundred pictures. What promised to be a pretty poor day birding turned into another brilliant day in the field.  Hopefully I'll upload some more images tomorrow when I have had the time to look at them all.