Wednesday 27 March 2013

That's better a very good day!

The day started in fine style with sun shining and 2 Waxwings gorging on the Cotoneasters in my Garden.

At The Point I only watched the sea for 30 minutes as the passage was thin but still better than yesterday, with a steady trickle of Red-throated Divers and Auks moving east with lesser numbers of Gannets and kittiwakes. While checking the gull roost the 3w Glaucous Gull landed beside the car encouraging me take yet more pictures of it. 

 A wander around the bushes found 5 Black Redstarts, a Wheatear, a Stonechat, 4 Meadow Pipits and a Pied Wagtail.
Wandering around the ARC several Cetti's Warblers chattered, a Green and Great spotted Woodpecker flew along the track, in the Sallows 3 Chiffchaffs and a Black Redstart. Further on I flushed a Jack Snipe(very scarce at Dungeness), 2 Common Snipe and 2 Marsh Harriers flew over, also a Bittern where the Bamboo has been cut.
Record shot of Jack Snipe

From Hanson a Little Gull was fluttering over the the surface, 3+ Goldeneye, a Marsh Harrier and 2 Great White Egrets could be seen. In the Willow Trail 2 Goldcrests and 2 Chiffchaffs with the Long-tailed Tit flock.
At the south end of the ARC the first Little Ringed Plover of the year, a Little Egret, 5 Smew(1 drake) and another Cetti's Warbler.

A phone call from OL telling of a Bluethroat at Samphire Hoe had me hot footing it back to the car,  45 minutes later myself and another birder walked up the path towards a bush being watched by the assembled birders, to see the female Bluethroat fly out of another bush in front of us. The Bluethroat showed in some long grass being mainly obscured for a couple of minutes allowing a couple of record shots. As far as I know was not seen again while I was there. A very good day.

1 comment:

  1. Congratulations on the garden Waxwings Martin. No need to move now! If you can keep them for a few more days, we will have had them in Kent for the last 5 months.

    Nothing much here, the Egrets have finally gone, there seems to be thousands of Siskins everywhere.

    Happy Easter!

    Nick

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