Divers, Buntings & Bitterns

Lade - 0900hrs - cold, grey, ne 3 - Another bitter cold day although with lighter winds. Checked out the pits for the Black-throated Diver which was on south pit. A Bittern also noted over the willows.
Birdwatching Break - Picked up Ray and Stuart from Ashford station for a three day stay at Plovers. On the way back we stopped off at Faggs Wood for woodland birds around the car park which comprised the usual tits and finches plus Nuthatch and Jay. At Warehorne the feeders were packed out with common garden birds plus Tree Sparrows and Great pecker. Crossing Walland Marsh we noted 3 Kestrels, Common Buzzard, 230 Bewick`s Swans and more Tree Sparrows, Goldfinches, Yellowhammer and 6 Corn Buntings at the seed dump.
Littlestone - The Snow Buntings were on the foreshore by the dunes feeding amongst the flotsam and allowed a close approach, as did a sickly looking Great Crested Grebe. Nine species of beach waders logged here and at Greatstone beach including 100 Knots, 130 Turnstones, 100 Barwits and hundreds of Curlews and Oycs, plus 10 Red-throated Divers offshore.
Lade - The Black-throated Diver was still on south pit. A Bittern was flushed from a reedbed along the causeway and 5 Goldeneyes were amongst the diving duck on north pit.
ARC - Finished the afternoon at Screen hide where 5 Smew showed well along with another Bittern, 3 Marsh Harriers, 100 Golden Plovers over and best of all a Kingfisher.
A decent afternoons birding despite the bitter cold.

                                          Great Crested Grebe, Littlestone

                                          Smews, ARC