De Haan, Belgium!

Yesterday I joined DW, GH and AJG on a day trip to De Haan, Belgium, mainly to see the spectacle of 1,000s of wild geese, as well as getting some chocolate and alcohol.

We caught an early morning train to Calais, then Gill drove the approximately 50 minute drive to De Haan where 1,000s of geese of 8 species were seen in the fields, along with 1,000s of Lapwing, 100s of Curlews and  other wildfowl. Although the weather was not brilliant, being damp and some what dull, all the birds could be seen from the comfort of the car, it was superb day out with good birds and company. 

As we arrived at De Haan we found a party of 9 Cattle Egrets

Some of the 1,000s of Pinkfeet in the fields around De Haan

A huge juvenile female Peregrine flushing the geese.

Some of the 1,000s White-front Geese also present there.

A few Tundra Bean Geese were also seen.

Common Buzzards were common there.

100s of Curlews were feeding in the wet fields.

On one of the flooded fields Gill our driver for the day picked out a distant Grey Phalarope, a short video of the Phalarope can be seen HERE . Although by no means a quality video, it was taken on my Canon Bridge camera, at the end of the video I zoom out, showing just how good these new Bridge cameras are for video, for even very distant small birds.

2500 ISO was needed for any a chance of an image.

We found this Great Northern Diver very late in the day at Ostende, along with a Slavonian Grebe, 15+ Goldeneye, dozens each of Great Crested and Little Grebes, a Kingfisher and more. 

With S to SE winds forecast this morning, a small group of locals gathered at the fishing boats with high expectaions and enjoyed a reasonable couple of hours sea watching with much banter.
08.00-10.00  with AJG, DW, MH, CP,
Brent: 43E          2W
Shelduck: 14W
Wigeon: 10W
Teal: 12E     12W
Common Scoter: 3W
Goosander: 1 in
Red-breasted Merganser: 9W
Red-throated Diver: 37W    4E
Fulmar: 1W
Gannet: 95W    14E
Dunlin: 34W
Sanderling: 9W
Turnstone: 4 on beach
Oystercatcher: 2W   1E
Great Skua: 1W
Kittiwake: 45W
Guillemot: 43W
Razorbill: 7W
Auk sp:  14W    5E
Grey Seal: 1

A new 2w Caspian Gull in the beach roost late morning 

On the Reserve the Long-eared Owl was missing today, 5 red head Smew could be seen on Burrowes and the usual wildfowl along with at least 2 Kingfishers, Great White Egrets on New Diggings, ARC, Dengemarsh and Christmas Dell along with the usual Marsh Harriers.

JZ582 Great Black-backed Gull at the puddles this afternoon

Highlight of a half watch from the boats was a Black-necked Grebe flying west.
14.40-15.10
Brent Goose: 17E
Red-throated Diver: 9W
Black-necked Grebe: 1W
Gannet: 17W
Guillemot: 12W
Auk sp: 5W

Trio of Caspian Gulls!

Another dull dreary day on the peninsular. The highlight of a slow sea watch with BM was a juvenile Pomarine Skua chasing a Brent Goose.
08.55-10.00
Brent Goose: 2W     20W
Wigeon: 1W
Common Scoter: 6W     3E
Red-throated Diver: 21W        7E
Gannet: 16E       10 around
Pomarine Skua: 1W
Kittiwake: 26W      6 around
Sandwich Tern: 1 around
Guillemot:  14W
Auk sp: 10W
This afternoon back at The Point 3 Caspian Gulls provided an opportunity for some visiting birders to tick them off. The light was awful this afternoon for photography. Much better images can be seen http://birdingthedayaway.blogspot.co.uk/ and  http://mybirdwatchingdaysout.blogspot.co.uk/
 

A new 1w Caspian Gull + and adult Yellow-legged Gull

Yesterdays Polish ringed 3w Caspian Gull still around today

This very smart 1w Caspian Gull has been around for a few days

Another Caspo!

On the reserve first thing this morning there was no sign of the Long-eared Owl on its usual perch, though apparently it had returned by midday, 5 Smew could be seen from Dennis's hide also a Great White Egret there.
From the fishing boats 08.00-09.00
Brent Goose: 1E  19W
Common Scoter: 1E  1W
Great-crested Grebe: 137 west from Lade Bay
Red-throated Diver: 1E   27W
Gannet: 56W
Cormorant: c200 around
Mediterranean Gull: 1W  (2w)
Kittiwake:  9W
Guillemot:  22W
Razorbill: 2W
Auk sp:  13W
After dropping my binoculars into Hythe Camera's to be repaired I saw 5 Purple Sandpipers on the Breakwater at the end of Twiss Road, Hythe.
This afternoon as I drove onto the beach I could see Richard Bonser busily photographing a Gull in the roost, parking up and scanning the roost I spotted the gleaming white head that held Richard's attention, a very smart 3w Caspian Gull. As it was it was sitting down I couldn't see that it sported a yellow ring PNXB making it the same bird that David Walker had seen briefly earlier in the week.

3w Caspian Gull

Kingfisher!

Eider

An hour at the fishing boats this morning saw plenty of Gannets moving west, very small numbers of Red-throated Divers and Auks, along with the usual Great-crested Grebes and Cormorants, a drake Eider being the only notable bird.

On the reserve the Long-eared Owl was on its chosen perch, 5 Smew and 8 Goldeneye could be seen among the common wildfowl. Also at last a Kingfisher posed for me though the light conditions were terrible.

Agreat White Egret was on the New Diggings and another at the south end of the ARC.

Kingfisher

 This afternoon yesterdays 1w Caspian Gull was in the roost on the beach.

 1w Caspian Gull

An excellent day on the beach!

adult Caspian Gull

As the wind was 6-8 westerly when I arrived at the fishing boats this morning I wasn't expecting to stay very long, however 7 hrs later I was still there admiring a new 1w Caspian Gull spotted by DW coming into the puddles.
The morning started well with a stunning adult Caspian Gull drifting up and down the shoreline, then a Little Gull flew west (very scarce this year), followed by a Sooty Shearwater going west close inshore, next I spotted a small dark bird flitting in the wave troughs, I eventually got my scope onto
it and was surprised to see it was a Common Snipe! In between the highlights 1,000+ Gannets, 2 Bonxies and some Auks.
08.15-13.15  14.00-14.45 joined by BM,DW, MH and PT

Common Scoter: 2W
Red-breasted Merganser: 5W
Red-throated Diver: 14W    1E
Great-crested Grebe: 344 flew west from Lade Bay
Fulmar: 4W
Sooty Shearwater: 1W
Gannet: 1,010 W    7E
Cormorant: 150+ around
Turnstone: 7+ around
Dunlin: 2W
Sanderling: 5E
Common Snipe: 1W
Great Skua: 2W
Mediterranean Gull: 1W
Yellow-legged Gull: 2 adults around
Caspian Gull: 2 (adult + 1w)
Little Gull: 1W
Kittiwake: 53W
Guillemot: 145W
Razorbill: 2W
Auk sp: 45W

Other news the Long-eared Owl returned to its chosen perch today after going missing yesterday, also 16 Bewick Swans on Walland Marsh in fields near the wind farm viewable from the A259 per BM

 adult Caspian Gull

adult Caspian Gull

 Little Gull

Gannets

 Guillemots

Common Snipe

 Mediterranean Gull

Sooty Shearwater

 Sooty and Great-crested Grebe

 Sooty Shearwater

adult Yellow-legged Gull

 1w Caspian Gull

Leach's Petrel!

4hrs sea watching from the relative shelter of the fishing boats 08.00-12.00:
Wigeon: 2W
Common Scoter: 21W
Red-breasted Merganser: 2W (drakes)
Red-throated Diver: 12W
Great-crested Grebe: 17W      9 on sea
Fulmar: 1W
Leach’s Petrel: 1W  at 09.35  (My 220 sp for the year on the peninsular)
Gannet: 77W   3E
Cormorant: c250 around
Oystercatcher: 2E
Turnstone: 7 on beach
Kittiwake: 87W
Guillemot: 101W
Auk sp: 74W

Early afternoon at the puddles despite plenty of bread very few gulls appeared and definitely no Caspian Gull, though DW found one a couple of hours later.
A single Great White Egret on the New Diggings as I drove to Scotney, where nothing of note was found. From the double bends not single to be seen , not even on the islands.
late afternoon on the reserve the Long-eared Owl still on its chosen perch at the back of the dipping pool. From Makepiece 4 red Smew, 3 Marsh Harriers and a Kingfisher of note. Very few gulls came into the roost today and nothing of note among them.

With the strong westerly winds dominating this weekend any birding was going to be hard work. Sea watching produced a westerly trickle of Gannets, Kittiwakes and Auks, with a few Red-throated Divers, a Sandwich Tern was feeding off shore but little else.
Not a single Caspian Gull was seen on the beach nor on the reserve, though several Yellow-legged Gulls were noted.
The Long-eared Owl sitting on its chosen branch at the back of the dipping pool continues to attract plenty of admirers. On Burrowes up to 4 Goosanders, 5 Smew, 8 Goldeneye could be found among the commoner wildfowl. A walk around the rest of the reserve found little due to the wind.
Most of the Great White Egrets seem to have relocated to the shelter of Brett's Marina.    

Dazzling!

The down side of todays beautiful bright sunny morning at The Point, was that due to the dazzling brightness and low trajectory of the sun trying to sea watch was a hopeless cause.

On the reserve the very popular Long-eared Owl was still on its chosen perch, 4 each of Goosander and Smew, 5 Goldeneye and plenty of the common wildfowl were on Burrowes. Bittern, Bearded Tits, Great White Egret, Marsh Harriers, Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler and Water Rail were all showing at Hookers.

Long-eared Owl at the Dipping Pool

Adult Caspian Gull on Burrowes

Late afternoon an adult and 2w Caspian Gull came into Burrowes also 2 Yellow-legged Gulls.

 Long-eared Owl taken at another site.

Lean Fare!

Blogger seems to have a mind of its own at the moment, no matter what I do it centres most text.

A morning 08.00-09.30 and an afternoon 13.00-14.00 sea watch produced:

Brent Goose: 3 SW

Common Scoter: 30 NE

Red-throated Diver: 28 SW

Black-throated Diver: 2 SW

Great-crested Grebe: 19 on sea

Gannet: 583 SW

Cormorant: c250 around

Turnstone: 21 on beach

Kittiwake: 80 SW

Guillemot: 6 SW

Razorbill: 11 SW

Auk Sp: 3 SW

Pied Wagtail: 3 on beach

Starling: 427 in

Chaffinch: 2 in

Goldfinch: 67 over

A visit to Scotney saw the usual feral geese, low numbers of duck and a single Curlew.

Adult Caspian Gull late afternoon on Burrowes

A morning and afternoon visit to the reserve saw the long-eared Owl on its chosen perch, 4 Goosander, 2 Smew, 8+ Goldeneye, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls, a 2w and an adult Caspian Gull along with all the common wildfowl.