Another bitterly cold and dull day on the peninsular, started with scraping the windscreen in the half light, then driving the 200 yds down the road to check on the 2 Cattle Egrets which were huddled up to a straw bale. Next stop the fishing boats where an hours sea watch from the relative comfort of the car was busy, but not exactly enthralling.
07.45-08.45
Brent Goose: 3 up
Red-throated Diver: 7 down 3 up
Great-crested Grebe: 182 up + c100 on the sea
Gannet: 156 up distantly + a feeding party of c40 birds in shore
Cormorant: c400 tooing and froing
Kittiwake: 12 down 8 up (a big change from yesterday)
Guillemot: 9 on sea 13 up 5 down.
By the lifeboat slipway c1,000 large gulls, try as I might I was unable to locate anything unusual among them.
Next a plod around the north end of the Long Pits which was virtually birdless but at least tramping around on the pebbles kept me warm.
After some warming soup I spent most of the afternoon at the ARC in Hanson hide, where I was joined by CT and MH. We all remarked how we take for granted all the birds we see here, that we are so lucky to have this as part of our local patch. This afternoon was no exception we saw at least 3 different Bitterns, 2+ Great White Egrets, a Little Egret, 4+ Grey Herons, 2+ Marsh Harriers, a Sparrowhawk, a Merlin, 2 Smew, 2 Goosander, 6 Goldeneye, c100 Shoveller and all the usual wildfowl, 2 Kingfishers, 3 Chiffchaff, and heard Cetti's Warbler and Water Rail and all from the comfort of the hide, while being regaled with jokes we have only heard a dozen times before.
Dusk at Scotney produced the 1w drake Scaup, 3 Black-necked Grebes, 3 Marsh Harriers and the usual bits and pieces.
07.45-08.45
Brent Goose: 3 up
Red-throated Diver: 7 down 3 up
Great-crested Grebe: 182 up + c100 on the sea
Gannet: 156 up distantly + a feeding party of c40 birds in shore
Cormorant: c400 tooing and froing
Kittiwake: 12 down 8 up (a big change from yesterday)
Guillemot: 9 on sea 13 up 5 down.
By the lifeboat slipway c1,000 large gulls, try as I might I was unable to locate anything unusual among them.
Next a plod around the north end of the Long Pits which was virtually birdless but at least tramping around on the pebbles kept me warm.
After some warming soup I spent most of the afternoon at the ARC in Hanson hide, where I was joined by CT and MH. We all remarked how we take for granted all the birds we see here, that we are so lucky to have this as part of our local patch. This afternoon was no exception we saw at least 3 different Bitterns, 2+ Great White Egrets, a Little Egret, 4+ Grey Herons, 2+ Marsh Harriers, a Sparrowhawk, a Merlin, 2 Smew, 2 Goosander, 6 Goldeneye, c100 Shoveller and all the usual wildfowl, 2 Kingfishers, 3 Chiffchaff, and heard Cetti's Warbler and Water Rail and all from the comfort of the hide, while being regaled with jokes we have only heard a dozen times before.
Dusk at Scotney produced the 1w drake Scaup, 3 Black-necked Grebes, 3 Marsh Harriers and the usual bits and pieces.
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