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!
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