Wednesday 26 December 2012

Raptors, Sawbills & a Grey Seal

Dungeness - 1000hrs - Mild, sunny, sw 3 - A cracking mild morning with blue skies and a brisk south-westerly, the ideal antidote to the excesses of yesterday. Down at the Patch, Med Gull, Little Gulls and 2 Kitts amongst a couple of hundred Common and Black-headed Gulls. A dead Grey Seal was on the beach between the seawatch hide and the Patch. Peregrine and Raven noted over the power station, plus a Black Redstart by the sewage works.
From the fishing boats 300 plus Great Crested Grebes, 50 Guillemots, 10 Razorbills and 10 Red-throated Divers on the sea. Further out a scattering of Gannets and more Kitts, divers and auks fizzing around the point. As it was high tide the Glaucous and Yellow-legged Gulls were hunkered amongst the Herring and Black-backed Gulls and a Merlin flew over the shingle looking for a meal.


                                          Deceased Grey Seal, Dungeness

ARC/New Diggings - Even though the main body of the bird reserve was closed with a sign on the gate there was a steady procession of cars driving up and trying to gain access. I redirected several cars over the road into the ARC car park but they still kept pulling up. On New Diggings, 3 Smews, 5 Goldeneyes and a Great White Egret, plus 2 Marsh Harriers and a Kestrel over the bank. On ARC 200 Gadwall from the causeway road plus singles of Goosander and Smew, 2 more Marsh Harriers, 15 Tree Sparrows and another Great White Egret elsewhere.

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