Storms and Wood Sandpipers

Lightning over an illuminated Dungeness power station

 At 01.00 this morning I was woken by the sound of distant thunder, laying in bed I saw half a dozen lightning flashes out at sea and thought I would like to experiment photographing lightning. As it was not raining I got up and crossed the road so that the street light was behind me as I looked towards the power station, the storm promptly abated, half an hour later and no lightning flashes I went back to bed. At about 02.00 another storm moved through the channel, so up I got again set the camera up. Reviewing the shots I took I was very pleased with my first ever efforts at photographing lightning.

Lightning over the fishing boats

 Approx. 08.00 at the ARC from Hanson Hide, 3 Wood Sandpipers, 4 Common Sandpipers, a Ruff, A Little Stint, 4 Little Ringed Plovers a Redshank and a few Oystercatchers were of note. Another Wood Sandpiper was at the South End of the ARC from the causeway.

Common Sandpiper from Makepiece

 On Burrowes 6 more Common Sandpipers, the 2 Egyptian Geese still, 2 Marsh Harriers, 4 Little Egrets and Sparrowhawk were the best of the bunch.

Late afternoon at The Midrips another 5 Common Sandpipers, 2 Wood Sandpipers, 7 Redshank, 2 Whimbrel, 17 Avocet, 9 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plovers and 2 Wheatears. Once again the sea was beautifully warm and refreshing.