Just another quiet day at Dungeness!

 First thing this morning as I drove onto the beach I saw a Fox curled up by the kerb in the sun and sheltered from the wind. As I got closer I expected it to run off but it just stood up looked at me and curled back up again allowing me to drive right along side it. I thought it had a piece of dead grass on its head but on closer inspection I could see it was fishing attached to a hook that was stuck in its ear. I did try to approach it on foot in the hope of catching it and cutting the hook but it would not let me close enough.

 1w Glaucous Gull in The Patch roost

As the low sun made sea watching from the fishing boats virtually impossible I made my way to The Patch. On arrival DW was already there and pointed out a 1w Glaucous Gull that was apparently there yesterday according to an observatory visitor. Also in the Gull roost a 1w Iceland Gull, 2 1w Caspian Gulls and a 2w Mediterranean Gull over the boil. Offshore the usual Auks, Gannets and Red-throated Divers.
 Driving back across the causeway a Slavonian Grebe was on the New Diggings. The Ring-necked Duck was on Cook's Pool as usual. No sign of any Long-eared Owls again today, all the usual wildfowl could be seen on Burrowes but no Smew or Goosander. From Christmas Dell a red head Smew was virtually the only bird on the lake, by the hide a Marsh Harrier, a Stonechat, Green Woodpecker, 3 Meadow Pipits and a Cetti's Warbler. At Dengemarsh 6 Russian White-fronted Geese with Greylags, Canada's and 14 Egyptian Geese, also there a Ruff among the Lapwing, a flock of c150 Linnets, c100 Stock Doves and 2 Great White Egrets.
At Scotney a Common Scoter was unusual, the Black-necked Grebe still, 3 Curlew and another Ruff. once again no grey geese. Along the road at Camber the Red-necked Grebe still, also 2 Great-crested Grebes, 2 Little Grebes and 2 Little Egrets.

Common Scoter at Scotney

This afternoon back at the beach the wind was starting to blow hard so we watched from the shelter of our cars.

14.00-15.30 from the turning circle with MH

Shelduck: 1 down

Velvet Scoter: 1 up

Red-throated Diver: 32 up

Fulmar: 2 down

Gannet: 37 down

Peregrine: 2 around

Kestrel: 1 around

Mediterranean Gull: 1 up

Kittiwake: c25 around

Guillemot: c300 around

Razorbill: 2 around

Female Peregrine on her kill, the male was loitering overhead, a brave Kestrel trying share the kill.