Wednesday 18 October 2017

Baywatch

Dungeness - mild, cloudy, se 2 - An hour from the seawatch hide with Lew resulted in a steady flow of Gannets offshore plus a few auks, Common Scoters, Sandwich Terns and at least 20 Mediterranean Gulls coming and going from the Patch. The main event on the land was the arrival of hundreds of finches on the easterly breeze, mostly Chaffinches (c3,000 logged at the Obs) and Goldfinches, but also a scattering of Linnets, Greenfinches, Siskins and Redpolls. Also noted this morning around the point Dartford Warbler, Firecrest, Redwing, Blackcap, Black Redstart, Goldcrest, Swallows, Stonechats, a House Martin, Mipits, Chiffchaffs and a late Willow Warbler. 
Lade - A check of the pits revealed all the usual wildfowl and egrets, a few Chiffchaffs, plus more Chaffinches and Goldfinches. On a falling tide the bay was up to its usual high standard and delivered hundreds of waders of nine species (couldn't find a Grey Plover for the ten). Also, three Brent Geese, 42 Sandwich Terns, 10 Mediterranean Gulls, a Yellow-legged Gull and hundreds of Black-headed and Common Gulls. At sea a few Gannets and a Grey Seal.

                                Bar-tailed Godwit, Lade bay

Scotney - Haven`t been here for a while so we walked out back where 20 Shelducks on the lake were the only birds of note. Around the farm buildings plenty of Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Mipits and Pied Wagtails, plus a Little Owl, Corn Bunting, Stock Dove and all the usual feral geese on the front pits and fields.
  A pretty decent couple of days in the field with Lew during which time we racked up a typical range of October migrants and residents totalling 92 species of birds.


                                            Goldfinches were everywhere today

                                Little Owl, Scotney

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