LEO!

On the way home last night after a day in West Sussex yesterday, I spent some time Owling on Walland, where a Long-eared Owl which flew across in front of me landed on a branch. I stopped the car underneath the branch just a few feet from the Owl, we stared at one another for 2-3 minutes before the Owl continued hunting. A brilliant moment and another patch year tick.
  
This morning a strong SW wind and drizzle greeted me at The Point where MH and CP were already in-situ:
07.10-10.00
Brent Geese:  415 up
Shelduck:  3 up  3 down
Pintail: 20 up
Common Scoter: 9 up
Red-breasted Merganser: 2 up
Red-throated Diver:     572  up    29 down
Great-crested Grebe: 49 down  6 on sea
Fulmar: 13 up      9 down
Gannet:  136 up     27 down
Cormorant:  c150 around
Oystercatcher: 7 up
Turnstone: 1 on beach
Kittiwake:  67  down
1w Glaucous Gull:  1 up (CP,MH) which I missed, I was probably doing the numbers!!!!!!!!!
Guillemot: 2 down
Auk sp: 86 down    14 up

As the weather deteriorated I had a look around the Gull roosts for the Glaucous Gull to no avail.
By the time I'd been home for breakfast, the rain had really set in and visibility was very poor so I called it a day.
It would appear all the usual birds were still be found around Dungeness despite the weather.

Quiet!

08-45-10.45 with MH:
Dark-bellied Brent Goose: 473 up
Pale-bellied Brent Goose:     1 up
Great-crested Grebe: 1,432 on sea (my best count this year)
Red-throated Diver: 10 down    3 up
Gannet: c25 off shore
Oystercatcher: 6 up
Turnstone: 1 on beach
Kittiwake: 6 down
Guillemot: 1 on sea
Auk sp: 6 down
Raven: 4 down

A drake and duck Smew was at the south end of the New Diggings, over the road on the ARC another duck 7 Goldeneye and a Great White Egret.
At Scotney the 3 Black-necked Grebes still but little else of note.
The Egret roost this evening was some what disappointing with just 7 Little Egrets and 5 Great White Egrets, though a Bittern dropping into the roost was a bonus.  Once again the Starlings put on a spectacular display especially when attacked by a Sparrowhawk and 1 of 6 Marsh Harriers that flew over. 

A Good Day!

Very quiet on the sea again this morning, just a few Red-throated Divers, Gannets, Cormorants and 178 Great-crested Grebes. A walk from the fishing boats to the lifeboat station and back with AJG, was notable for the lack of birds except the 100s of Gulls on the sands.  A single Curlew on the sands and 21 Meadow Pipits and 3 Stock doves by the road.

At the south end of the New diggings, a Black-necked Grebe, 4 red head Smew and a Great White Egret.

 At Scotney the Little Stint was associating with 16 Ringed Plovers. 2 Black-necked Grebes and the Scaup could be seen from the double bends. 2 Marsh Harriers were hunting the north bank. At the farm 2 Tree Sparrows and 7 Corn Buntings.

 At Horsebones Farm 54 Bewick Swans still and the Whooper Swan, nearby the usual Sparrows and finches at the Baynham farm feeders.

While in the Plodland garden having my lunch the above Great White Egret flew over at roof top level. Although I see them most days from the garden this is the first one to fly right over.

This afternoon at Cockles Bridge a Kestrel sat in the sun, in the fields c1,000 each of Golden Plover and Lapwing being flushed by a couple of Buzzards.

Another short sea watch this afternoon was quieter than this morning the highlight being 15 Brent Geese flying up channel.

On the reserve from Dennis's hide, another Black-necked Grebe, 2 red head Smew and 2 red Goosander of note, the Red-crested Pochard was still on the dipping pond.

Early evening at the Egret roost numbers were lower than usual, 14 Little Egrets, 7 Great White Egrets and the 2 Cattle Egrets. While waiting for the Egrets to come in a Bittern flew over as did 5 Marsh Harriers, Smew, Goosander and Goldeneye were seen, a Sparrowhawk attacked the the Starling flock causing a spectacular display. As I started to leave a Barn Owl came in and appeared to pluck a Starling from its roost. A brilliant end to a very good day!  

Colour ringed Little Stint!

Colour ringed Little Stint, Scotney. (Probably part of a Norwegian Project.)

As it was superb bright frosty morning I decided I'd have a wander around the Scotney complex. 

First I walked from the farm entrance along the cycle path to the red brick bungalow and back. The main lake was like a mirror it was so calm and the Kent end was frozen. The 3 Black-necked Grebes were easy to spot as they swam around together, while on the edge of the lake the Little Stint was associating with 2 Dunlin, I could see that it was colour ringed but to far off to sort out. (I eventually got better views this afternoon in much duller conditions)

20 Ringed Plover ran around the turf along with 4 Redshank, a Curlew and c40 feral Barnacle Geese. On the the far side of the lake 2 Egyptian Geese but no sign of any wild geese. The Scaup was still associating with some Pochard and 3 Little Egrets were around the lake.

 Green Sandpiper, Scotney.

By the time I got back to the farm entrance a light breeze was rippling the lake and breaking the ice. As I wandered up to the farm a Green Woodpecker flew over as did a Marsh Harrier. Round the farm a couple of Tree Sparrows, several Corn Buntings and Green Sandpiper flew over, I continued along the track beside the back lake towards Jury Gap seeing of note 9 Little Grebes, 22 Shelduck, 12 Pintail, 5 Little Egrets, 6 Redshank, 3 Marsh Harriers and 2 Great White Egrets one of which flew back into Kent over me. The fields were virtually bird less with just a few Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and Pied Wagtails, once again no Hen Harrier.   

 Great White Egret in Sussex.

Red-crested Pochard skulking in the reeds!

In January I resisted temptation to twitch a female Red-crested Pochard on Lade pit, so today with news of drake on the reserve I crumbled, joined MH on the bench at the dipping pool twitching a plastic duck.

A Gull and some Egrets!

Most the morning was taken up with domestic stuff, I did manage a brief look at at Scotney in the sleet and snow finding only the 3 Black-necked Grebes of note. Early afternoon at The Point yesterdays 3w Caspian Gull was in the roost, which was often disturbed by dog walkers.

3w Caspian Gull

Early evening 22 Little Egrets, 10 Great White Egrets and 2 Cattle Egrets roosted on the reserve. Around the reserve plenty of the common wildfowl, 8+ Smew, at least 1 Goosander, a Black-necked Grebe, a Barn Owl and regular sightings of Bitterns.

Wet, Wet, Wet!

A very wet night was followed by an even wetter day, it was so abysmal I didn't bother to go out until a message from DW at lunchtime, regarding a 2w and 3w Caspian Gull in the roost on The Point. A short sea watch produced nothing.

 3w Caspian Gull, ISO 2000

 2w Caspian Gull

A soggy Cattle Egret on the chicken shed roof

A single Black-necked Grebe and 4 red head Smew could be seen on the New Diggings through a curtain of rain.

Round Brickwall Farm the 2 Cattle Egrets looked very sorry for themselves.

At Scotney no sign of the Black-necked Grebes, Scaup or any wild geese, even the Barnacle Geese have disappeared leaving just the one lonesome individual. However on the turf from the layby 26 Ringed Plover, 14 Dunlin and a Little Stint that the Bard of Littlestone twitched just to make sure it wasn't a Semi P.

On Walland the Whooper Swan still present but Bewick Swans have decreased to 54.

22 Little Egrets, 8 Great White Egrets and the 2 Cattle Egrets came into roost this evening, the c3,000 Starlings pre roost gathering put on a spectacular display when attacked by 2 Sparrowhawks and 5 Marsh Harriers flew through. 

More of the same!

07.45-09.15 from The Point
Brent Goose: 5 up
Red-throated Diver: 321 up
Fulmar: 3 up  1 down
Gannet:  127 up   18 down
Kittiwake:  36 up
Guillemot: 2 up
Auk: 16 up
Harbour Porpoise: 1 o/s

13.40- 15.00 from The Point
Red-throated Diver: 2 down
Gannet: 7 down
Black-headed Gull: 3854 down (14.00-15.00) presumably to The Patch. Nothing else to count!
Kittiwake: 27 down

The Cattle Egrets were in the usual fields at Brickwall Farm, The Scaup and 3 Black-necked Grebes still at Scotney. 2 Black-necked grebes and 6 red head Smew on New Diggings. More Smew and at least 2 Bitterns at the ARC. On the reserve it would appear from today's reports that there is no change there either.

Tuesday and Wednesday!

Yesterday Tuesday 17th after checking with the BBC weather and double checking with XC Weather I joined DW and GH  on a day trip to Dinant, Belgium to hopefully see the much photographed Wallcreeper that has been present there since December. As we drove off the train at Calais it was raining, c3hrs later as we parked by the river Meuse in Dinant it was still raining. I checked the BBC and XC weather websites on the phone, both still insisted it was a bright sunny day in Dinant.

Spotting the cliffs and Citadel was easy but where to look for the Wallcreeper? Fortunately after a looking at parts of cliffs we ran into a Belgian couple and there young son, the only other birders there, they told us that the bird was seen on the citadel walls early morning and showed us where to view it. The young lad spotted immediately, he got it in his scope and we viewed it at a range of c300mts. Not very satisfactory! It was very mobile and quickly disappeared for an hour before reappearing again in the same place and range again. We carried on waiting and hoping the bird would come closer, eventually after more waiting and rain it did come on to nearer cliff face, once again first spotted by the young lad, it was still quite distant but gave great scope views as it crawled and flitted over cliff face. Photography was near on impossible as it was so dark and dreary and so far away. The image below was my best effort, at 2000 ISO the shutter speeds were still very slow. In hindsight we should probably taken the funicular railway up to the Citadel, where we may have got better views. Weekends would probably be better when more birders are around to track it.

 Despite the weather a good day out in great company and good scope views of the Wallcreeper!

 Whitefront at Scotney today!

I spent several hours today wandering around Scotney soaking up the sun unlike yesterday. A single Whitefront was associating with a few Greylags as I wandered through the farm. A couple of Tree Sparrows flew over as did 4 Corn Buntings, there was much disturbance in the farmyard so Little else was seen there. On the lake the 3 Black-necked Grebes still paddling around together, 2 Tundra Bean Geese eventually lifted there heads to reveal them selves, after much searching the Scaup appeared from under the bank, the Barnacle Goose that has been wandering around on its own for the last week or so was as shy as ever NOT! On the turf 8 Ringed Plovers, 4 Dunlin, 8 Redshank, 2 Curlew and 4 Oystercatchers.

 1 of the 2 Tundra Bean Geese at Scotney today!

 The lonesome Barnacle Goose it can definitely fly!

 The Cattle Egrets showing well at Brickwall Farm this afternoon!

Late afternoon 2 Cattle Egrets, c8 Great White Egrets and c17 Little Egrets roosted. I totally lost count and concentration watching the Starlings spectacular pre roost display, the wild Swans flying in to roost and a Barn Owl hunting near the screen hide. 

No real change!

Last evenings Egret roost was a little disappointing after recent days. 8 Great White Egrets, 22 Little Egrets and 2 Cattle Egrets. A Merlin flashed over the New Diggings and c1500 Starlings put on an impressive pre-roost aerial display. 

This morning was very foggy so I didn't leave home til gone 09.00.

09.20-11.20 from The Point with poor visibility and the accompaniment of the Fog Horn.

Brent Goose: 107 up

Shelduck: 3 down

Red-throated Diver: 61 up    13 down

Gannet: 51 down  15 up

Oystercatcher: 10 up

Auk:  6 down   2 up

Skylark: 4 down

On the New Diggings 2 Black-necked Grebes, 6 red-head Smew and a Great White Egret, over the road on the ARC 2 red head Goosander, 4 red-head Smew and 3 Marsh Harriers of note.

Scotney GP still holds the drake Scaup and 3 Black-necked Grebes, but once again no sign of any wild geese.

On Walland Marsh the wild Swan herd still at Horsebones Farm, Tree Sparrows could be found at the usual sites.  

Late afternoon 10 Avocet on the Cormorant Island at the ARC.

More Egrets!

08.50-09.50 from the fishing boats:

Brent: 11 up

Red-throated Diver: 10 down    4 up

Fulmar: 1 down

Gannet: 129 down

Oystercatcher:  3 up   3 down

Kittiwake:   129 down

Auk:  3 up

The rest of the morning taken up with domestic stuff.

This afternoon the Cattle Egrets were still in the fields south of Brickwall Farm.
At Scotney the drake Scaup still but no wild geese, I was unable to find the 3 Black-necked Grebes but there were at least 2 on New Excavations,
On Walland all the wild Swans present and correct.
Late afternoon at the reserve in the company of DW and GH watching the Egrets come in to roost.
9 Great-white Egrets and a minimum of 23 Little Egrets roosted, a party of 3 Cattle Egrets came in and a few minutes later another 2. It was very dark and they did come in quickly so we may have made a mistake, so it looks like my early evenings are going to be booked for the near future.

February Gloom lifted by late afternoon Pinkfeet!

07.20 at the ARC car park and the wild Swans are already leaving the lake, 2 Great White Egrets flew over. By 07.30 they have all gone and its still more or less dark.
At the south end of the ARC the 2 Goosanders and 2 red head Smew, a Black-necked Grebe could be seen over the road on the New Excavations.
At The Point absolutely no off shore movement on a flat calm sea, the highlight being a Harbour Porpoise.
The 2 Cattle Egrets were in the fields south of Brickwall Farm but little else seen in the gloom.
At Scotney with the road being blocked at the double bends by what looked liked a serious accident, I parked at the farm entrance and walked the path by the lake. The 3 Black-necked Grebes and the Scaup showed well but no sign of any wild geese. Around the farm 13 Corn Buntings, 2 Little Egrets and a drake Goldeneye on the back lake was unusual.
A call from OL this afternoon to say he had counted 1240 Great Crested Grebes between The Varne and and The Pilot, would I be able to count the Grebes between The Pilot and The Point, no problem and a few minutes later I was at the fishing boats counting all 8 of them! My time was definitely not wasted, as I scanned the sea I picked up a flock of c35 Pinkfeet resting on the colour change, which were slowly drifting south east. I tried to tweet them, but there was no phone signal let alone Internet. It seems that mobile signal was very patchy on the peninsular today.
  

Wonderful Swans!

06.30 at the ARC car park in the gloom before dawn, the Bewick Swans could be heard calling to one another on the lake, in the bushes Tree Sparrows chattered along with Chaffinches and Reed Buntings, 3+ Chiffchaffs in the willows and reeds by the track to Hanson, also a couple of Squealing Water Rails, a loud Cetti's Warbler and flyover Green Woodpecker. From the hide all 86 Bewick Swans and the lone Whooper Swan were milling around, 2 red head Goosanders fishing in front the hide with 3 red head Smew, in quick succession 2 Bitterns vacated there roost and flew across the lake. As all the Swans had left the lake by 06.45 yesterday, I quickly made my way back to the track to the screen hide to be in a position to get some images of the Swans leaving and waited and waited. This morning they had obviously decided to have a lay in. It was not until 07.55 when the Whooper Swan led the way, with all leaving in the next few minutes, except one juvenile which flew out towards Lydd then returned, doing this several times calling all the while and finally settling back on the lake. It does not bode well for this youngster if it cannot even find its way to Walland, let alone Russia. While waiting for the Swans to leave 7 Great White Egrets flew out towards the marsh, a Merlin, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and 3 Marsh Harriers flew over. 

 Whooper Swan leads the way!

 Superb views of the Bewick Swans!

Stunning views as they leave the ARC!

At the fishing boats the sea was mirror calm, nothing was moving off shore so I took the opportunity to count the Great-crested Grebes on the sea, in the one sweep I counted 710 Grebes, 8 Red-throated Divers and a Grey Seal.

From the causeway the Goosanders had moved to the south end of the ARC and a Black-necked grebe could be seen on New Excavations.

At Scotney the Scaup and a single Black-necked Grebe of note.

I parked at Springfield Bridge where the 2 Cattle Egrets could be seen in the field opposite, walking from the bridge to Scott Hide was largely avian free, although work was being done in the hay fields, which certainly look in great condition for migrant spring waders. From Scott the showy Smew was still doing its stuff despite the amount of noise made by visitors slamming the door, dropping the shutters, flasks scopes and just about everything else.

drake Smew still performing for the camera!

Late this afternoon 8 Great White Egrets and 17 Little Egrets roosted. c2,000 Starlings put on another brilliant aerial display, especially when attacked by a Sparrowhawk. 

The Best Till Last!

06.45 walking along the track to Hanson I could hear the Bewick Swans calling softly to one another, by the time I opened the shutter in the hide they had all departed to Walland. (must get up earlier). From the hide 18 Little Egrets and 4 Great white Egrets lined up along the far bank, 2 red head Smew on the lake and 2 Marsh Harriers over, but nothing else of note.

07.40-08.40 from the fishing boats was not exactly riveting!

Shelduck: 2 up

Common Scoter: 3 up

Red-throated Diver: 11 up

Gannet: 203  up

Oystercatcher: 2 up

Kittiwake: 3 up

Auk: 2 up  (Where are all the Auks this winter?)

Grey Seal: 1 o/s

Drake Scaup Scotney!

A drive down Dengemarsh Road filed to find the Whitefront among the Greylags, but did locate the Cattle Egrets at Brickwall Farm.

I spent 3hrs wandering around the paths of Scotney, although enjoyable it was not very rewarding ornithologically. The Scaup still present as was a single Black-necked Grebe, a Green Sandpiper, a few each of Corn Bunting and Tree Sparrow, the usual feral geese including 5 Egyptian Geese and the common wildfowl no sign of any wild geese.

This afternoon from the Screen Hide 14.50-17.00 saw just 3 red head Smew of any note. 

17.00-17.35 saw 2 Bitterns drop into the reeds in front the hide, 13 small Egrets flew through, it was to dark and they were to distant to be sure if the Cattle Egrets were among them, 8 probably 9 and maybe more Great White Egrets came in, c3,000 Starlings put on a superb display, especially when a Peregrine paid them some attention, finally  just as I was about to leave the screen and I think best moment of the day the evocative sound of Bewick Swans coming back into roost!

Harrier Roost!

After a lay in I made my way to Scotney, from the double bends a single Black-necked Grebe, the Scaup but no sign of any wild geese. At Brickwall Farm the 2 Cattle Egrets happily feeding by the chicken sheds, a few hundred yards up the road from them a single Greater White-fronted Goose was associating with a flock of c100 Greylags.

Cattle Egrets Brickwall Farm

After lunch back at Scotney the 2 Tundra Bean Geese popped into view and a flock of 20 Corn Buntings. The Spotted Redshank was seen again this afternoon JC,DC,BK.

It was the Harrier roost count today, instead of looking at my usual Reed bed which has drawn a blank for the last couple of years, I looked at another closer to home near the airport, where I joined Martin and Sussana and were fortunate enough to have 1 adult male come into roost.

On the way back to the car a couple of flocks of calling Bewick Swans flew over to roost at the ARC.   

Egret Roost!

A little better today, as at least you could get out of the car without the icy wind cutting you in half like yesterday.
In 3 visits to Scotney the highlights were 2 Tundra Bean Geese, 5 Greater White-fronted Geese, a Green Sandpiper my first of the year, 3 Black-necked Grebes, the drake Scaup, a Great White Egret, 5 Little Egrets, a party of c30 Corn Buntings, 2 Marsh Harriers, 11+ Little Grebes and the first Lambs of the year there, but no sign of the Cattle Egrets probably because there was no ditch clearance going on today. They were relocated back at Lydd per DB.
Walland Marsh still holds the wild Swan herd and still plenty of winter thrushes to be seen there.
An early afternoon visit to the fishing boats saw no change on the sea, also no sign of any Caspian Gulls in the roost.
Late afternoon 16.45-17.35: 12 Great White Egrets, 2 Cattle Egrets and 15 Little Egrets came in to roost on the reserve and 5 Marsh Harriers flew through, also 1,000+ Starlings which attracted a Merlin, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and a Kestrel.

Changeable!

First thing this morning at Scotney GP 5 Greater White-fronted Geese, (10 seen later) and 2 Tundra Bean Geese among the 100s of feral Greylags and Barnacle Geese present. The 2 Cattle Egrets could be seen following the digger on north bank of the lake, the 3 Black-necked Grebes were in the pool at the Kent end and the Scaup was hiding among c1,000 Wigeon on the lake. At the farm 8 Corn Buntings a little Egret and 2 Marsh harriers over.

2 of the 5 Greater White-fronted Geese today!

09.20-10.00 from the comfort of the car near the fishing boats:
Pintail: 3 up
Red-throated Diver:  14 up   3 down
Great-crested Grebe: c100 on sea
Fulmar: 1 down
Gannet: 54 up       9 down
Cormoant: present n/c
Kittiwake:  6 on sea
Auks: 9 up   4 down
A stroll around the sheltered north end of the Long Pits found nothing of note.
I spent most the afternoon around Walland Marsh in the warmth of the car watching the Wild Swans and winter Thrushes, but still went home early when heavy snow showers started.

Bewick Swan coming in to the flooded field!

It took me weeks to read this neck collar, now it shows well virtually every visit!

Whooper Swan stretching its wings!

This image was taken only minutes after the one above.Time to call it a day as another snow shower sweeps in!

Egrets!

First thing this morning at the ARC no sign of any wild swans roosting. The lake was very quiet in a bitter NE wind.

Things weren't much better at the fishing boats where a just a handful of Red-throated Divers and Gannets were recorded in a very cold 30 minute watch 

Cattle Egret Scotney still just in Kent 

At Scotney the 2 Cattle Egrets could be seen distantly following the digger, careful scanning of the Greylag flock eventually picked out the 2 Tundra Bean Geese heads down asleep as usual.The 3 Black-necked Grebes were huddled together under the northern bank as was the drake Scaup.

This afternoon from the screen hide a Bittern, Great White Egret, 2 Smew and Kingfisher.

Late afternoon 9 Great White Egrets, 2 Cattle Egrets and 14 Little Egrets came in to roost, also c1500 Starlings put on a superb flying display harassed by a Peregrine and a Sparrowhawk, before they dropped into roost.  

Swans!

As some Bewick Swans flew over Plodland last night, I thought I'd go to the ARC to see if they roosted there. Walking up the track to Hanson at 07.20 in very gloomy conditions I could here the Bewick Swans calling. I entered the hide and quietly opened the shutter to see the Swans on the lake quite close in to the hide. A quick count came to 86 Bewick Swans and a single Whooper Swan. Just to confirm that they were the Walland Marsh herd the neck collared bird was present, by 08.10 all the Swans had left the lake heading out over Plodland to Walland. While I was in the hide 2 Goosanders were fishing in the reed margins in front the hide, 2 Bitterns flew out of the adjacent reed bed. 2 Great White Egrets dropped in front of the screen, 2 Marsh Harriers flew over and 3 Goldeneye could be seen.  

 Bewick Swans

 Whooper Swan

 Whooper Swan

 One of the two Goosanders in front of Hanson early morning

 An artistic shot (rubbish) of one of the Bitterns in the early morning gloom

08.30-09.00 from the fishing boats
Brent Goose: 9 up
Shelduck: 1 up
Red-throated Diver: 11 up
Fulmar: 1 up
Gannet:   17 up
Cormorant: 656 up  it was such an exciting watch!
Kittiwake:  5 around
In a wander around the north end of the Long Pits I stumbled across a Little Owl my first of the year on the patch, but little else of note was seen.
A stop at Cockles Bridge found 2 more Great White Egrets, c200 Golden Plover, c400 Lapwing and another 2 Marsh Harriers.

The 2 headless Tundra Bean Geese on Herring Gull Island

At Scotney the usual 3 Black-necked Grebes, the drake Scaup and the 2 Tundra Bean Geese along with the feral geese.

Another visit to Walland this afternoon with MH added the 2 Cattle Egrets that were following the drainage digger in front of Scotney farm. We then went out to Walland and at various sites saw up to 30 Corn Buntings, 20 Yellowhammers, some Tree Sparrows and plenty of winter thrushes, also the wild swan herd at Horsebones Farm.  

An Excellent Day!

The car thermometer this morning was showing -3 as I arrived at the fishing boats for today's very slow sea watch 7.40-08.20:
Brent Goose: 10 up
Red-breasted Merganser: 1 up
Red-throated Diver: 13 up
Gannet: c100 fishing on the horizon
Kittiwake: 15 up  27 down
Grey Seal: 1 o/s
Red Fox: 1 on beach
Brown Hare: 1 Jarmans

This Robin was the only bird to pose in the trapping area!

A stroll around the trapping area and Long Pits found of note 2 Firecrests, 5 Goldcrests, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Woodcock and a Water Rail.

From the causeway the 2 Goosander on the ARC and 2 Great White Egrets.

Mid morning at Scotney 3 Black-necked Grebes and the Scaup, another visit later this afternoon found the 2 Tundra Bean Geese.

Neck collared Bewick Swan 053E!

On Walland late morning the 86 Bewick Swans and single Whooper Swan showing well.

The Whooper Swan

Moorhen getting in on the Perch action

An hour in Scott Hide with the Smew still performing!

Late afternoon from the screen hide at least 7 Great White Egrets came in to roost along with 4 Little Egrets. A Bittern gave a fly by view and a Kingfisher caught caught at least 6 small fish by the hide. 4+ Marsh Harriers crossed the lake towards the Oppen Pits.

20+ Bewick Swans flew over Plodland this evening towards the ARC presumably to roost.