Friday 7 December 2012

Even more Waxwings

 I thought i'd have a look at the berry bushes by Hamstreet Garden Centre this morning on my way to Dungeness, as back in December 2010 a party of Waxwings took up residence there for a week  or so. I pulled on to the verge and there they were 20+ Waxwing. They gave great views coming down to drink in a puddle beside the car. It was a pity the light was so poor and then it started to rain. Further on down the A2070 another 18 Waxwing were sat atop some bushes completely ignoring the traffic hurtling by. On Walland the 2 Whooper Swans were still associating with the Mute Swans and at least 32 Bewick Swans could be seen from Bell Corner with 2 Black Swans and more Mute swans.  4 more Waxwing with the 100s of winter thrushes at Midley.




On New Diggings the juvenile Black Throated Diver, 2 Great White Egrets and a Goldeneye among the usual wildfowl. At the south end of the ARC a flock of c100 Gadwall.
Down at The Point 100s of Guillemots and Great Crested Grebes with a few Red Throated Divers on the sea. Many Auks, Kittiwakes and a few Gannets and Divers were tooing and froing off shore.
The Glaucous Gull was perched on top of one of the containers.
On the reserve a red head Smew, 4 Goldeneye, 2 more Great White Egrets, 18 Pintail, c200 Wigeon and 2 Marsh Harriers were of note.
A visit to the ARC Hanson hide was in order after getting news news of a Pallas's Warbler there, alas I was unable to find it but did see 9 Long-tailed Tits, several Blue and Great Tits, 2 Chiffchaffs and a Goldcrest, also a superb male Goldeneye there.
On the way back I stopped at the rubbish pile in Tickners Lane, where apart from the 100s of winter thrushes, there were 50+ Chaffinches and 6 Yellowhammers, as I drove away the male Hen Harrier flew across the field opposite.  

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