Seabirds and things

Dungeness - 0900hrs - cold, dryish, sw 4 - A 90 minute seawatch from the hide yielded a pretty decent return, at least by recent days, with the highlights being a Great Northern Diver, two Manxies, Arctic and Great Skuas, plus two Red-throated Divers, three Fulmars, 10 Gannets, 20 Brents, 50 Common Scoters, 10 auks, five Arctic Terns and plenty of Sandwich and Common Terns coming and going. On the land the wind prevented too many passerines showing although we had a singing Black Redstart on the power station, a Ring Ouzel and two Whimbrel at Long Pits, plus Wheatear and Skylark opposite Jarman`s.

                                Small Copper, Dungeness

RSPB - On Burrowes a 1st summer Little Gull was amongst the Black-headeds and a Common Sandpiper on the islands, while hundreds of hirundines and a few Swifts went through. On New Diggings we jammed a Great White Egret, while on ARC the two Spoonbills settled down on the `cormorant` island. There were more hirundines and Swifts to check through from Hanson and a Hobby nipped through. From the access road 14 Whimbrels, two Cuckoos and the usual Tree Sparrows around the car park.

Spoonbills, ARC 

Lade - We finished off on the local patch checking more hirundines over the willow swamp, where a Cuckoo was also noted.