Hooded Merganser!

This mornings southerly produced a very quiet early morning sea watch:

06.25-07.25 from the sea watch hide with BB,LG & AJG who collated the numbers:

Red-throated Diver: 32 up     3 down

Fulmar: 2 up  2 down

Gannet: 8 down

Oystercatcher: 6 up

Mediterranean Gull: 1 down

Kittiwake: 7 up   11 down

Guillemot: 1 up

Auk sp: 11 up

 1w Iceland Gull behind The Patch after the disappointing sea watch

 1 of the 2 Long-eared Owls 

On the reserve the Long-eared Owls were enjoying the warmth of the morning sunshine. By the New Excavations a Water Rail was skulking along with a Cetti's Warbler.

At Christmas Dell another Cetti's Warbler and a Chiffchaff of note. Denge Marsh produced 2 Great White Egrets and 2 Marsh Harriers. 

 1 of 4 seen around the reserve this morning

 From the viewing mound another Cetti's Warbler and a confiding Bearded Tit. The Ring-necked Duck was still on Tanners Pit along with another Great White Egret and another on Cooks Pit.

 Early afternoon a fine drake Hooded Merganser was found at Hookers. I eventually got on to it after making the mistake of wandering off to look elsewhere for it when it went missing after it's initial discovery. A really smart bird, unfortunately it does carry a green ring (see the last image).

Black-necked Grebe

Late afternoon I walked along the causeway between Burrowes and the New Diggings, the 2 Slavonian Grebes and the Black-necked Grebe could be seen easily from there, also 2 Chiffchaffs and feeding flock of 22 Reed Buntings.