Caspian Gulls!

Sandwich Tern this morning

An hours sea watch this morning from the fishing boats was some what underwhelming, with a single Sandwich Tern and a few each of Gannets, Kittiwakes and Mediterranean Gulls, 10 Common Scoter flew west and Guillemots were offshore.

I walked the beach area around the new lighthouse to the research station then back to the sea containers in the hope of finding a Wheatear sp or a Bunting, needless to say I drew a blank on both counts. Checking the gull roost at the boats I came across V0WT Herring Gull a regular bird here.

 V0WT a Dungeness resident

 Around the sea containers a fly catching Black Redstart

As I walked towards the lifeboat station I spotted a 1w Caspian Gull bearing a Polish yellow ring. While photographing the Gull a Swallow flew out to sea.

After the Polish bird flew inland, another 1w bird with a distinctive bill came to the beach briefly before flying strongly out to sea.

 This bird made only a brief visit to the beach, 

2w Great Black-backed Gull JC782 is another regular on the beach here enjoying stranded Sea Mice

A lunch time walk to The Patch then on to the Diamond and back, in another failed quest for a rare Wheatear or Bunting I find 2 more Black Redstarts and another Swallow. 

This afternoon another hour at the fishing boats in the hope that the Tern sp seen at Greatstone might come past, if it did we missed it! also saw little else other than c150 Kittiwakes.

Late afternoon on the reserve 4 more Caspian Gulls came into roost 3 x 1w and lovely adult bird, also 6 Yellow-legged Gulls, 3 x adults, 2 x 3w and a 2w.

Earlier in the day 2 Spoonbills and 7 Cattle egrets were on the reserve, also the usual Great White Egrets.