Fowl Weather

8 of the 9 Smew on the ARC Pit

I spent a couple of hours fighting the weather this morning before i gave up the unequal battle.
As i drove across Walland Marsh there was 100+ Fieldfare and a Common Buzzard in the field near to the Woolpack. Further down the road 4+ Tree Sparrows round the feeders which are sheltered from the worst of the wind. At Midley Barn 19 Corn Buntings and 12 Yellowhammers with a mixed flock of Chaffinches and Goldfinches. From Hawthorn Corner 60+ Bewick Swans still present.
At Scotney 50+ Golden Plover, 14 Dunlin and 5 Redshank and very little else.
From the road on a very choppy ARC Pit 9 Smew, 3 Goldeneye and 4 Ruddy Duck were the pick of the bunch. 

Hawfinches

A meeting in Canterbury this afternoon allowed me to spend an hour at Denge Wood this afternoon where minimum 7 Hawfinches came into the tops of the pines. Also seen 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Marsh Tits 16+ Siskins.

Snowballs at Last

At last on my seventh visit to try and photographs these beautiful snowballs they behaved them selves instead of whizzing through the tops of trees. With at least 4 showing well in brilliant sunlight in freezing NE wind.
At the SE end of the ARC Pit 104 Gadwall was impressive and 8 Smew(1 Drake), 3 Goldeneye and several of our American friends.
At Scotney the Pink Fott still amonst the Greylag and 4 Marsh Harriers round the wind turbines.

Bitter Dungeness

At Kemps Hill Lydd 45 Bewick Swans including 10 Juvs and a Barn Owl at Cockles Bridge this morning. Nearby at the ARC Pit 34 Bewick Swans with 4 Juvs, 3 Smew(1 Drake) and 3 Marsh Harriers. On the beach by the fishing boats out of the freezing wind the 1W Glaucous Gull showing  well and a Raven over. At sea still many Razorbills and Guillemots on the sea and moving east along with large numbers of Great-crested Grebes and Red-throated Divers and a few Gannets and Kittiwakes. At Scotney a lone Pink-footed Goose among hundreds of Greylags, 26 Golden Plover and 2 Marsh Harriers. A walk around Northpoint G.P. was not very productive but 50+ Common Snipe on the saltmarsh made it worth braving the biting N.E. wind.

Sea of Grebes and Divers

A visit to Pett this morning found the bay covered in Great-crested Grebes and Red-throated Divers the former numbering 2000 + and the latter 250+, also on the sea 500+ Wigeon, 7 Velvet Scoter, 1 Black-throated Diver flew through along with  numerous Auks and a steady stream of Gannets. On the Levels 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese amongst the Greylags and 250+ Curlew.       

A stroll around Dunge

 6 Waxwings still present early this morning at Singleton despite yesterdays attentions by the ringers. At an overcast Dungeness RSPB 4+ Marsh Harriers around the reserve and 4 + Cetti's Warbler heard also good numbers of dabbling duck all round the reserve. 2 Red head Smew on Burrowes pit along with 2 red head Goosander. On the New Excavations a Slavonian Gebe showing well and a Bittern over the Christmas Dell reed bed. From the Denge Marsh Hide a Black-necked Grebe showing well and another Bittern over the reed bed. From the veiw point at Hookers another Bittern and a Water Rail but no Bearded Tits. On the ARC Pit 3 Smew (1 drake) a red head Goosander and 3 more Marsh Harriers. On Walland 79 Bewick Swans in 2 herds of 24 and 55 and the usual Tree Sparrows.  

To ring or not to ring

The 30+ Waxwings were still around Singleton this morning. Some ringers had set up a net infront of some favoured bushes but didn't catch any while i was there. Is it usual for ringers to leave birds in esposed positions trapped in the nets for long periods? as was the case for at least one Blue Tit, they didn't appreciate me berating them for it (I thought the birds welfare was paramount). As the weather was so bad i thought i'd try nearby Orlestone Wood. I really should not have bothered the high light being 3 Bullfinches.

High top Hawfinches

A cancelled meeting allowed me to spend a short time at Dengie Wood, Chartham this afternoon allowing good albeit fairly distant veiws of 2 Hawfinches(Male & Female) in the very tops of the pines, unlike the one above at Arundel in 2009. Also seen there were a Marsh Tit and 2 flyover Brambling.

Sunny Reculver

 A change of scenery today with a visit to Reculver. At the car park a Rock Pipit was on the rocks. A couple beaches east of the Towers 5 Snow Buntings were showing well feeding on the high tide line. On the shore line were many Turnstone with good numbers of Sanderling, Grey Plover, Ring Plover and a few Oystercatcher. On the sea a Pale -bellied Brent Goose with 3 Dark- bellied Brents. Next to the promenade by the Oyster beds a confiding Stonechat and further along just before Cold Harbour Lagoon 3 Shorelark on the Mound but very skittish with all the cyclists whizzing past. The only way to get any sort of photograph was to wait further on for them to be flushed towards me which was ok untill
 the dog walkers let there muts loose. In the fields on the way back 60+ Lapwing, 40+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese and a few Fieldfare and Skylark.

Stormy

The 1W  Glaucous Gull was still by the fishing boats this morning. Sea watching from the shelter of the boats there was a steady stream of Auks mainly Razorbills moving west also many Kittiwakes and a few Gannets but little else. A look at the ARC Pit from the road produced the Glossy Ibis sitting in a sheltered bush for a few minutes before it flew SE towards the observatory before settling at the eastern end of the pit out of site. Also there 3 Goosander and 4 Smew. At Dymchurch the Northern Long-tailed Tits were very elusive with one quite distant view in 2 hours .