March Blows In!

At Horsebones Farm this morning the Bewick Swan herd had diminished to 40 , the neck collared bird was still present as was the the Whooper Swan. The usual Sparrows,Finches and buntings could be seen at the feeders and seed dump. 1,000s each of Lapwing and Golden Plover filled the sky over Cheyne, probably flushed by Marsh Harriers or Common Buzzards. 

At Brickwall Farm the 2 Cattle Egrets were still wandering around the fields by the chicken sheds.

 At Scotney a Little Egret strutted it stuff on the flood pools, where another 50 Golden Plover fed.
An hour at The Patch saw c2,000 Black-headed Gulls, c20 Common Gulls, c200 Herring Gulls, c10 Lesser-black backed Gulls and c50 Great-black backed Gulls but no quality Gulls. A party of 17 Brent Geese flew east and just a handful each of Red-throated Diver and Great-crested Grebe were off shore, just 4 Gannets were seen.
On the ARC from the causeway 5 red-head Smew, 6 Goldeneye and still plenty of the common Wildfowl.

 Lapwing at Cockles Bridge

 Red-legged Partridge at Cockles Bridge now becoming scarce on the peninsular.

7 of the 14 Ruff

Back at Scotney this afternoon a party of 14 Ruff on the turf (the first this year on the patch) with 8 Dunlin, 10 Ringed Plover, 27 Golden Plover, 4 Oystercatcher, a Curlew and the Little Stint. On the lake the 3 Black-necked Grebes, a Peregrine put in an appearance flushing everything.