Back at Dungeness!

1 of 2 Firecrests in the lighthouse garden yesterday

With a light south easterly blowing this morning I spent a disappointing hour in the seawatch hide in the company of AJG and BB. A few Red-throated Divers, Gannets and Common Scoter flew up channel, along with 200+ Brent Geese, a Goldeneye and 3 Sandwich Terns which went past before I arrived. 

On the shingle between the fishing boats and the lifeboat 3 Wheatears, 5 Black Redstarts, 3 Skylark, 4 Meadow Pipits and a superb Rubicola Stonechat.
A Black-necked Grebe was at the southern end of the New Diggings and couple of Goldeneye on the ARC. Scotney was disappointingly quiet but at least the Cattle Egrets were still in Dengemarsh Road.
This afternoon a wander up to The Pines found just the 1 Chiffchaff in the Sallows but many Reed Buntings and Chaffinches, A Green Woodpecker was doing its best to bring down the telegraph pole behind the screen hide, while 2 Marsh Harriers quartered the Tower pits.
Walking from the ARC to the back of Hookers saw 2 Great White Egrets, 3 Little Egrets, a Bittern, more Marsh Harriers, c100 Golden Plover, 6 Tree Sparrows and 2 Bearded Tits. While I was at the back of Hookers, a call from CT about a Slavonian Grebe on Dengemarsh gave me the spur to make my way to the hide there. There was no sign of the Grebe from the hide but CT could see it from Springfield Bridge. I made my way round the Hayfields seeing another Great White Egret and 3 more Little Egrets along with 3 Redshank in them. Finally reaching Springfield Bridge I eventually got views of the Slavonian Grebe through the reeds as it became more elusive. While waiting for it to show again 2 Peregrines put in an appearance along with a Great White Egret and a Bittern seen only by PT.