Marsh Harriers

A much quieter morning at The Point, still good numbers of Great Crested Grebes on the sea with a few Guillemots and Red-throated Divers, with a few more of each flying east into the bay, including the Guillemot below with all white wings. 2 Curlew, 9 Oystercatchers, 1 Fulmar and 13 Common Scoter also moved east.

 The south end of the ARC held 4 Smew (1 drake), c200 Shoveler, a Little Egret, a Marsh Harrier and a Great white Egret with another on New Diggings.

 A plod from the ARC car park out to Hookers, then up to the GO Cart track and back via Manor Farm was pleasant in the weak winter sun. The fields to the NW of Boulderwall Farm held 100s of Golden Plover, Lapwing, Stock Doves and Wigeon, also 3 Great White Egrets, 2 Common Buzzards,  25 Barnacle Geese, 5 Tundra Bean Geese among the Greylags and Canada's. Reed Buntings seemed to have returned to the ditches in good numbers and the Cetti's Warblers have started shouting, also most the fields seemed to have Skylarks in them. The large manure piles each had there own Stonechat with a few Meadow Pipits which have been very scarce lately. Up to 6 Marsh Harriers were on view the whole time I was there, they are superb birds but seeing them every day I tend to take them for granted, I will try not to in future. The fields between the go cart track and Manor Farm had several 100s of Fieldfare in them but very few Redwing. Arriving back at Hookers the 5 Tundra Bean Geese gave me a fly by shot.

At Scotney 25 Dunlin and 5 Ringed Plover of note on the flood opposite the lay by and a couple more Marsh Harriers hunting the fields behind.
On Walland the Bewick Swans still just about viewable but very distant from near Hawthorn Corner, opposite Midley drying barns a family group of 5 Bewick Swans showing well with the Mute Swans and nearby the usual Tree Sparrows in bushes opposite the feeding station. At Tickners Lane seed dump the usual Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings and finches.