Sunday 16/08/2020

Ringed Plovers. The birds in the image below headed off high towards France

Early this morning CP picked me up and we drove the couple of miles to Jury's Gap where we spent a couple of hours on the Green Wall of The Midrips and Wicks. The pools are drying out rapidly and look perfect for waders. Unfortunately the only waders were 20 Avocet, a few Ringed Plovers, Dunlin and Oystercatchers, a Greenshank, a Redshank and a Common Sandpiper. A Pied Flycatcher flew along the Green Wall and 2 Wheatears were present, a Hobby was also noted. A party of 19 Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin flew out high towards France and 15 Ringed Plovers were feeding on the beach.  

Avocets

Wheatear

Common Redstart

When we left The Midrips we walked the track from Jury's gap to the working pits where we found 4 of each of Common and Green Sandpiper. In the small group of bushes we found a Common Redstart, Pied flycatchers, Willow Warblers, Lesser and Common Whitethroats, Whinchat and Wheatear, It was an excellent and very relaxing stroll, the only other person we saw was a lady out on her horse.  

Pied Flycatcher near Jury's Gap. I will never tire of seeing these delightful birds.

Pied Flycatcher near Jury's Gap

Pied Flycatcher near Jury's Gap

Pied Flycatcher near Jury's Gap

Pied Flycatcher photo bombing a Common Redstart

Lesser Whitethroat

This afternoon at the fishing boats with AJG and RW the sea watch was grim, singles of Black Tern, Fulmar and Arctic Skua, 2 Oystercatchers and 10 Common Scoter were note. The few Gannets, Common and Sandwich Terns were just feeding off shore, thank goodness we had the Gulls to entertain us. We watched the lifeboat go out to another rib full of immigrants about a mile out, whom they took on board as it looked like the rib was sinking. They then headed off towards Dover . 

The juvenile Great Black-backed Gull robs the Cormorant of its catch of a Mackerel

Can it hold on to its prize

Struggling to align the Mackerel

Just the tail left to swallow

Z9 Lesser Black-backed Gull ringed in Holland. I am awaiting details.

K.TOH Lesser black-backed Gull ringed in Belgium. I am awaiting details. 

A couple of moths from last nights catch 

The very beautiful Palpita vitrealis first of the year for me

 A Scarce Bordered Straw that like myself has seen better days