Wader heaven

Lade - mild, dry, light airs, cloudy, cool, wet, dry, sw 2 - A mixed bag of weather today with the rain eventually arriving just before midday. Bird of the day was a juv Little Stint on the local patch feeding alongside Common and Green Sandpipers on the muddy islands amongst the reed swamp where also 12 Dabchicks, Garganey, Water Rail and Little Egret. Black-necked Grebe and Red-crested Pochard still on south lake. As for passage migrants, few and far between with singles figures of Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Reed and Sedge Warblers, plus 20 Swallows, 10 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Mipits and a Grey Wagtail (scarce here) overhead.

                                Dabchick, Lade

                                Grey Heron on 200` `mirror`, Lade

ARC - Called in at Hanson hide around noon where a Peregrine was spooking the waders. Eventually a few Ringed Plovers, Dunlins, Lapwings, Golden Plovers returned to join 5 Snipe, 2 LRPs and a Greenshank. Also noted 2 Garganey, 3 Little Egrets, 2 Sparrowhawks, a Hobby and 2 Marsh Harriers. In front of the hide a Water Rail showed several times with her two fluffy, black chicks, plus Cetti`s and Reed Warblers.

                                Blackwits, Burrowes

Burrowes - A mid-afternoon visit with the Joker produced a decent return in front of Firth hide where 9 Blackwits, 5 Snipe, 10 Dunlins, 8 Ringed Plovers, 4 Ruff, 3 Redshanks, 3 Greenshanks and a Garganey, although the 14 Curlew Sandpipers from earlier had moved on. From Makepeace Common Sandpiper and 20 Wigeon and a Hobby from the access road.
Dungeness - Joined DW for a brief seawatch from the boats where a few terns were on the move plus distant Gannets and a Guillemot.
NB: Anyone coming down for the weekend can be assured of a wide range of passage waders, including Blackwits, Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint, with the best viewing currently in front of Firth and Hanson hides. Water Rails with juvs have been showing well at both Hanson and Screen hides on ARC, while Great White Egret, Garganey, Black-necked Grebe are all present around the RSPB reserve. Osprey and Honey Buzzard have been through the Peninsula this week, plus Black Terns at the Patch and a steady flow of passerines including Pied Flycatchers, Whinchats (particularly Galloways) and Yellow Wagtails (largest numbers at Scotney). With all the extra birders in the field surely something rarer will be found...