Very quiet on the sea this morning with just a handful of Red-throated Divers, Common Scoter, Gannets and Wigeon. A Grey Wagtail was feeding on the power station filter bed. At the Patch the 2 1w Iceland Gulls still in residence also a 1w Caspian Gull there among the usual Gulls.

Around the Lighthouse 3+ Black Redstarts, a Goldcrest and a Wheatear of note.

 Raven

 The 2 Slavonian Grebes were still on the New Diggings, apparently at least 2 Black-necked Grebes were present but not seen by me.
A pleasant walk around the reserve where every bush seemed to hold a singing Reed Bunting, several Cetti's Warblers were calling and a Raven was one of the highlights, 3 Smew including a drake could be seen from Christmas Dell hide. Denge Marsh was disappointing but held the usual wildfowl. Marsh Harriers were displaying high over Hookers along with a couple of Common Buzzards. At the back of Hookers the Hooded Merganser was still present but distant.

 Smew

Hooded Merganser

This afternoon in Denge Marsh Gully a Firecrest and another Goldcrest, the Raven was seen again but otherwise quiet.

The Sunflower field at Springfield Bridge held c100 Linnets, c40 Reed Buntings, c30 Chaffinches and 6+ Greenfinches.
2 Hebrew Characters and Common Quaker were my first moths of the year last night.

07.00-08.00 from the sea watch hide with LG.

Brent Goose: 42 up

Pintail: 59 up (single flock)

Common Scoter: 57 up

Red-throated Diver: 5 up  2 down

Great-crested Grebe: present n/c

Fulmar: 4 up

Gannet: 67 up

Cormorant: present n/c

Caspian Gull: 1 up

Kittiwake: 12 up

Sandwich Tern: 1 up

Auk sp: 3 up

Harbour Porpoise: 17

 1w Iceland Gull at The Patch

A Goldcrest and Grey Wagtail were by the perimeter wall as we walked down to The Patch. At The Patch both 1w Iceland Gulls, a Mediterranean Gull and another Sandwich Tern. 

 Black Redstart at the old lighthouse

2+ Black Redstarts, several Meadow Pipits, a Stonechat and a Wheatear by the old lighthouse this morning.

Starling in the garden

On the reserve, 6 Black-necked Grebes and 2 Slavonian Grebes on the New Diggings, the Ring-necked Duck still present, also 2 Smew and the Long-eared Owls. Yesterday evening 6 Great White Egrets came into the ARC roost also a male Merlin there.

 2nd cal yr Caspian Gull

This afternoon at the fishing boats a 2nd cal year Caspian Gull and 3 3rd year Yellow-legged Gulls came to the offerings, also 2 Peregrines came in off the sea.

 1 of 2 Peregrines at the fishing boats this afternoon

3rd cal yr Yellow-legged Gull

El Gouna!

We had a week in El Gouna, Egypt 24th February-3 March for a bit sunshine, also so the builders could rip out our bathroom and start putting a new one in. The birding was very slow as we were probably about 3-4 weeks early for but showed me the potential of this resort. Access around the resort was  easy and safe. I spent most of my time on the golf course, the beaches (early morning) and Abydos Marina. Although I saw lots of Sooty and White-eyed Gulls I just could not get close to them. If i go again I'll go for a couple of weeks and hire boats to take me out to the Gulls. Below is a small sample of some of the images I took, I've still got many to edit. 

 Nile Valley Sunbird (male) common on the golf course

 Nile Valley Sunbird (female)

 Bluethroat common around the resort

 Greater Sand Plover c20 birds daily at Abydos Marina

 Pied Kingfishers up to 8 seen daily Abydos Marina (never got close to them)

 Caspian Terns common around the resort

 Slender-billed Gull common around the resort

 Red-throated Pipit common on the golf course the last couple of days

 Water Pipit unexpected on the golf course

 White Wagtail abundant all sites

 Spannish Sparrow Abundant on the golf course

 Cattle Egret common and tame

 Spur-winged Plover c20 on the golf course daily

 Hooded Crow abundant everywhere

 Steppe Gull common at the marina and off shore

 Whimbrel only 4 seen

 Woodchat Shrike only 1 seen on the golf course

 Lesser Whitethroat common around the resort

 Black-headed Yellow Wagtail numerous the last 2 days on the golf gourse

 Yellow Wagtail probably "flava"

Isabelline Wheatear 10+ the last couple of days on the golf course

Hooded Merganser!

This mornings southerly produced a very quiet early morning sea watch:

06.25-07.25 from the sea watch hide with BB,LG & AJG who collated the numbers:

Red-throated Diver: 32 up     3 down

Fulmar: 2 up  2 down

Gannet: 8 down

Oystercatcher: 6 up

Mediterranean Gull: 1 down

Kittiwake: 7 up   11 down

Guillemot: 1 up

Auk sp: 11 up

 1w Iceland Gull behind The Patch after the disappointing sea watch

 1 of the 2 Long-eared Owls 

On the reserve the Long-eared Owls were enjoying the warmth of the morning sunshine. By the New Excavations a Water Rail was skulking along with a Cetti's Warbler.

At Christmas Dell another Cetti's Warbler and a Chiffchaff of note. Denge Marsh produced 2 Great White Egrets and 2 Marsh Harriers. 

 1 of 4 seen around the reserve this morning

 From the viewing mound another Cetti's Warbler and a confiding Bearded Tit. The Ring-necked Duck was still on Tanners Pit along with another Great White Egret and another on Cooks Pit.

 Early afternoon a fine drake Hooded Merganser was found at Hookers. I eventually got on to it after making the mistake of wandering off to look elsewhere for it when it went missing after it's initial discovery. A really smart bird, unfortunately it does carry a green ring (see the last image).

Black-necked Grebe

Late afternoon I walked along the causeway between Burrowes and the New Diggings, the 2 Slavonian Grebes and the Black-necked Grebe could be seen easily from there, also 2 Chiffchaffs and feeding flock of 22 Reed Buntings.

White Wagtail!

 This day last year saw 17+ Blue Fulmars with 400+ Fulmars and much more past the sea watch hide. Today there were c15 Fulmars, a handful of Red-throated Divers and Kittiwakes, 363 Brent Geese, 3 Common Scoter, 60+ Gannets and a Great Skua. The 2 1w Iceland Gulls were still at The Patch.
A visit to Denge Marsh Gully drew a blank on migrants with just a handful of Linnets and Corvids present.
From Springfield Bridge a Great White Egret and 2 Marsh Harriers were the highlights. As essential work was being undertaken in the hay fields they were inevitably devoid of avian life.
A Marsh Harrier and 2 Common Buzzards were on the ranges but no migrants were seen at Scotney.

Black-necked Grebe on the New Diggings

An early afternoon visit to the beach drew a blank on migrants also very little on the sea apart from a flotilla of Guillemots and Great-crested Grebes.

A walk across the causeway from Boulderwall to the Open pits this afternoon found 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Slavonian Grebes and a Black-necked Grebe. 

 White Wagtail at Makepiece

Late afternoon the Ring-necked Duck and 2 red head Smew were on Tanners Pit. The 2 Long-eared Owls  were showing in the bushes behind the Dipping Pool.
From Makepiece Hide I eventually found a 1w Caspian Gull among the 100s of Gulls present. A superb White Wagtail was feeding with Reed Buntings right in front the hide as was a pair of Goldeneye, also 5 Black-tailed Godwits and an Avocet there. In a field just west of the reserve entrance 2 Red-legged Partridges the first I have seen on the peninsula this year, now a scarce bird here.

 Goldeneye from Makepiece

Red-legged Partridges (scarce on the peninsula these days)