30/01/2021

I found this dog Fox and Vixen locked together, I quickly withdrew and left them to be.

With such poor weather and the lockdown, finding birds has been quite difficult. There are still c300 Russian White-fronted Geese around Dengemarsh, along with all the other usual feral Geese. A small number of Dartford Warblers around the peninsular, along with a few Chiffchaffs and Firecrests but still no Smew or Goosander, could this be the first winter on record that no Smew are recorded at Dungeness?

At least the Glossy Ibis is still present, with plenty of Great White Egrets and the Black-throated Diver. 

At Scotney the usual feral Geese and the elusive Long-tailed Duck. On Walland at least 23 Bewick Swans and 2 Whooper Swans. My weeks highlight was the appearance of a superb male Hen Harrier hunting over the fields in front of my house, the first male I have seen from the garden.

1 of 4 Redwing high up in Lydd Wood, the first I have seen this year.

My first Dartford Warbler of the year on the peninsula

The Glossy Ibis is still present, seemingly spending most on its time around Cook's Pool, now that its favourite island on the ARC has been submerged by all this rain.

Not sure that the new strategy for discouraging the Herring Gulls from taking over the Tern rafts is going to work, early days and work in progress.

The Gorgeous Black-throated Diver that commutes between the ARC and New Diggings. a short vide of this bird can be seen  HERE 

Although quite distant this splendid male Hen Harrier was the first male I have seen from the garden

 Bewick Swans on Walland this morning