Hooded Crow!

07.45-09.00 fro the sea watch hide with JTM:

Brent Goose: 244E

Shelduck: 1E

Shoveler: 6E

Pintail: 2E

Common Scoter:7E

Red-throated Diver: 1^E   4W

Great-crested Grebe: 2W     4 around

Gannet: c80 around

Cormorant: present n/c

Oystercatcher: 1E

Curlew: 4E

Kittiwake: 1 over The Patch

Guillemot: 1E   1W   2 on

Auk sp: 6E    9W

As I got back to the car I received a call from Dave Bunney telling me a Hooded crow had just flow over his house onto the beach, myself and JTM were there in minutes, just in time to watch the bird fly off into Lade Bay, where we caught up with it again for a very short while before we watched it disappear into the haze over Littlestone. As you can see I only managed some poor rather distant record images. Many thanks to Dave for the prompt call.

 Hooded Crow

 Hooded Crow 

Hooded Crow

Next a walk around the Kerton Road Triangle where I managed to get brief views of 2 Dartford Warblers, also there 4 Stonechats, a Kestrel and several each of Meadow Pipit and Skylark.

 Great White Egrets

A wander round Dengemarsh was very quiet, but 2 Great White Egrets and Grey Heron were nice, in the hay fields 2 Common Snipe but no sign of the Water Pipit or anything else of note.

Grey Heron

Whooper Swan

At lunchtime in the field opposite my garden the 2 Whooper Swans were again showing well, 2 Common Buzzards over and a hunting Marsh Harrier.

At Scotney the feral Barnacle Goose flock was still present, along with c200 Wigeon and 8 Curlew, Golden Plover seem to have departed. On the Scotney causeway 3 North Thames ringed Herring Gulls in the roost.

1 of 13 Sandwich Terns at the fishing boats this PM

15.00-16.00 from the fishing boats:
Red-throated Diver: 32E   2W
Great-crested Grebe: 6 on
Gannet: c30 around
Cormorant: c500 feeding off shore
Oystercatcher: 1E
Turnstone: 7 on beach
Mediterranean Gull: 1W
Kittiwake: 16 around
Sandwich Tern: 12E      1 feeding off shore
Grey Seal: 1

Turnstone at the fishing boats

A quick stop at Cooks Pool on the home saw 4 Cattle Egrets, a Great White Egret, a Little Egret, 9 Ruff among the many Lapwing and Starlings and 4 more Curlew.