28/11/2023

 (Not a very enthralling watch this morning)

Wind N 4, Temp  4°

08.00-09.00 from the Hide with RW:

Tufted Duck: 1W (female)
Great-crested Grebe: 9 on
Turnstone: 2 present
Oystercatcher: 2W
Kittiwake: 6W
Black-headed Gull: 14W
Mediterranean Gull: 1W
Common Gull: 14W
Great Black-backed Gull: 9W
Herring Gull: present
Lesser Black-backed Gull: 2W
Great Skua: 2E
Guillemot: 4E
Razorbill: 3E    
Auk sp: 23E
Red-throated Diver: 14E   13W     
Gannet: 96E
Cormorant: 943W
Grey Seal: 1

The Great Northern Diver was again showing well on Burrowes, but little else of note to be seen there, though RW did see a male Hen Harrier at the back of Dengemarsh. 

one of 8 Stonechats around the sand pit

I nipped over the the border into Sussex today and visited the Jury Gap Sand Pit and the westernmost Scotney pit, places I don't visit enough. The surprise in the sand pit was a party of 4 Bearded Tits, also 8 Stonechat and a Redshank there, the contractors have started to grade the Northern bank so presumably getting it ready to flood. The westernmost Scotney Pit had 4 Little Gulls hawking over it, another Redshank, 15 Dunlin and 6 Little Grebes. It looks as though another pit may be being dug between the Sand pit and westernmost pit, so I'll have to make more frequent visits to see what's happening.

1w Little Gull over the westernmost Scotney Pit

I have no idea why this Great White Egret walked into such deep water at the ARC this afternoon.