Blue Skies!

 Brent Geese at Scotney

A late start today due to domestic stuff, fortunately a call from AJG reassured me I had missed nothing as the sea passage was non existent. I decided to have a look at Scotney where from the layby I could see c1,000 Gold Plover were roosting on the grass and spit, also 2 Redshank, 4 Dunlin, 1 Ruff and 3 Ringed Plovers. From the double bends the 100+ feral Barnacle Goose flock and 2 Marsh Harriers patrolling the ditches on the far side of the lake. At the Sussex end 300+ Brent Geese resting on the lake though c50 of them flew off west while I was there.   

 Part of the 1,000 strong Golden Plover flock at Scotney

A walk from Springfield Bridge to the viewing mound at Hookers was very pleasant, the hayfields all have some water in them and look excellent for attracting water fowl and waders, though I saw very little in them today. Water Rails seemed to be squealing from just about every patch of reeds, being joined by shouting Cetti's Warblers and calling Bearded Tits. I spent a while on the mound and in Dengemarsh hide in the company of MH, from the hide 2 Kingfishers were the highlight, but no Great White Egrets, from the mound a couple of Little Egrets and a couple Marsh Harriers while sitting soaking up the warm sun was very pleasant. A wander down to Christmas Dell saw another Kingfisher and 2 Stonechats of note.

 Marsh Frog sunbathing at Dengemarsh

An hour late afternoon at the beach produced 2 Arctic Terns, 2+ Common Terns, a few Sandwich Terns, an Arctic Skua, and some Kittiwakes and Gannets, 15+ Mediterranean Gulls and few Auks on the sea and flying by, also 3 Shoveler and 2 Brent Geese flew west.

Red-line Quaker one of the few moths in the trap this morning.