Bee-eater Finale!

Whinchat

An early morning message from Dave Bunney alerted me to a fine male Whinchat behind his house on The Point. A short sea watch just a few each of Gannet, Common and Sandwich Tern, 3 Common Scoter, the usual few Great-crested Grebes  and a few Harbour Porpoises. A single Chiffchaff was the highlight in the lighthouse garden.

A walk around The Desert saw just a few Common Whitethroats, a couple of Reed Buntings but little else of note. 

4+ Common Buzzards and a pair of Peregrines were hunting were over the trapping area where a Garden Warbler was singing as were Blackcaps, Lesser and Common Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs.

From the garden 6 Common Buzzards, 4 Marsh Harriers and 2 Hobby's were over the fields.

SG (http://northdownsandbeyond.blogspot.co.uk/) called offering me a lift to Rye to see the Terek Sandpiper, an offer I couldn't refuse. The bird was showing all the time I was there, sometimes quite well, a Curlew Sandpiper was also seen as was Little Ringed Plover, Avocets and numerous Mediterranean Gulls. Rye Harbour NR is a superb reserve, I must make the effort to visit more often as it is so close to my home.  

Terek Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper

 Terek Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper

Curlew Sandpiper shot into the sun

Hoopoe

This evening I thought I'd see if I could get better images of the Hoopoe at Dengemarsh seeing as it is literally only a 2 minute drive from my home, on arrival at Springfield Bridge the Hoopoe was busy eating caterpillars it found in the stonecrop at the side of the road. Even though i was the only person there it was still wary, another birder turned up and offered to let me use his passenger seat as a hide, I'm sorry I did not get your name but many thanks are due to you, he slowly drove down the road allowing me to get some good images. 

 Hoopoe

Hoopoe

While I was still at Springfield Bridge I met Barry Wright, another birder turned up and quite matter of factly mentioned that he had just come from the ARC where he had seen a Bee-eater and thought it might still be there, needless to say Barry and myself were at the Arc a few minutes later, while he checked the track to the pines I went towards Hanson where I spotted the Bee-eater perched up in the Sallows. Barry quickly arrived as did most of the locals. A superb end to another excellent day around the shingle.

Bee-eater

Bee-eater

 Bee-eater