20/03/2024

Oystercatchers passing the sea watch hide this morning

Meadow Pipit on the wall behind the sea watch hide

Enough on the sea watch this morning to keep my interest for a couple of hours.

 06.30-09.00 with RW, OL, DW  from the sea watch hide.  Wind S 1-2 Temp 11° 

Brent Goose: 117E (5 parties)

Shelduck: 14E     

Shoveler: 26E

Pintail: 3E

Common Scoter: 147E   4W    

Great-crested Grebe: 2E      6 present 

Oystercatcher: 22

Ringed Plover: 1E  

Whimbrel: 2E 

Kittiwake: 2E  

Black-headed Gull: 96E     

Mediterranean Gull: 1E 

Common Gull: 19E

Great Black-backed Gull:  present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 5E   1W  

Guillemot: 3E   

Auk sp: 3E       4W

Red-throated Diver: 93E   

Fulmar: 2E     

Gannet: 26E    4W

Cormorant: 46 present

Harbour Porpoise: 4

After the sea watch Owen and Richard picked me up in the truck which was loaded with Tree Sparrow nestboxes which were kindly supplied by Paul Trodd, John Young and Dungeness RSPB. We made our way out onto the marsh with permission from the farmer and installed the boxes to the accompaniment of Tree Sparrows tu-wicking around us. There are now 25 boxes for this colony, hopefully they will all be used like the first batch we put up last year.

While having lunch at home there was a kettle of 12 Common buzzards over me

White Wagtails at Springfield Bridge this afternoon

Corn Buntings at Springfield Bridge this afternoon

Black-necked Grebe on Dengemarsh this afternoon

One of two Water Pipits on Dengemarsh Flood this afternoon

Water Pipit over Dengemarsh Flood