Dotterel!

This mornings sea watch was very uninspiring and consequently a short one. A wander around the lighthouse, station bushes and out to the eastern end of The Desert saw just a handful of Common Whitethroats, a few Meadow Pipits, 9 Wheatears, 17 Yellow Wagtails, a Marsh Harrier, a few Swallows over and a Hare, when I reached the Pilots Path a movement nearby caught my eye and the shingle morphed into a juvenile Dotterel which showed very well for just over an hour before flying off towards the ARC.

 Juvenile Dotterel

 It did several wing stretches

 Blending in with the shingle as it spots overhead danger

On my way back to my car this Black Redstart popped up in front of me

I went to Scotney to check an odd report of an Ibis sitting on a fence by the main road, needless to say I found no sign of an Ibis. The sward around the lakes was literally smothered with what I estimated to be c2,000 feral geese of 5 species.

An excellent couple of hours at the ARC this afternoon where 2 Spoonbills showed well, as did 4+ Garganey, 31 Black-tailed Godwits, 14 Dunlin, 6 Redshank, a Golden Plover, 4 Ringed Plovers, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, a Common Sandpiper, a juvenile Mediterranean Gull 2+ Marsh Harriers, a Great White Egret, 5 Little Egrets and a photogenic Spotted Flycatcher, also a superb display by a juvenile Peregrine. Also present all the usual wildfowl and the usual many Sand Martins.

 Spoonbills from Hanson

 Juvenile Peregrine from Hanson

 A very photogenic Spotted Flycatcher in front of Hanson (my first this year)

A quick look late afternoon from Firth to see how the islands are progressing saw 40+ Dunlin, 10+ Ringed Plovers and a Sanderling running around within a few feet of the working digger.