Tuesday 1 October 2013

Grounded Migrants

Lade - 0700hrs - mild, cloudy, e 3 - Aha, October, the month of mists and mellow fruitfulness, and rarities - we hope. But not this morning; however there was a fair bit about commencing with hundreds of Swallows and a good few House Martins streaming south towards Dungeness. On the storm beaches at least 200 grounded Mipits and 100 Linnets with plenty more of both species overhead, plus a party of 15 alba wagtails, 2 Grey and one Yellow Wagtail. Around the willows a few Chiffchaffs, Blackcap, 5 Song Thrushes, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and the autumns first Jay.
South lake was packed out with feral geese, Coots, common wildfowl and 12 Shelducks.
ARC - A late morning scan from Hanson yielded very little apart from 5 Greenshank, 3 Dunlin, 2 Snipe, several hundred Wigeon, 4 Brents and a Jay over.
Lade - 1330hrs - Checked the foreshore from the Varne where all 10 species of waders noted, although Grey Plover and Knot took a bit of finding, plus 100 Brents and 15 Shelducks out on the mud. Another look at the pits found more hirundines on the move along with a Hobby, a Green Sandpiper on the islands and 2 Marsh Harriers and a Sparrowhawk behind the `mirrors`.
ps: News from the bird reserve today concerned Great White Egret and Pectoral Sandpiper, plus a Spoonbill on Burrowes.

No comments:

Post a Comment