...so I got in the car at 0525 preparing to drive north....and drove south....!
At Scotney Court Farm less than an hour later...
...slightly overcast but it soon cleared to sunnier weather....
...sorting out my boots...Cronk-cronk....cronk-cronk....Raven....fabulous start...! First bird and first year tick for the day....
Crow, Chaffinch, Shelduck, Wigeon, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Little Egret, Coot, Mute Swan, Cuckoo, Mallard, Reed Warbler, Woodpigeon, Starling, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Corn Bunting...
...jingle-jingle...
The views of Yellow Wagtail were only reasonable, two fly-overs and as I was noting a couple of birds down I looked up to find two sitting on the fence in front of me....but immediately took flight...bah!
Moving on to Dungeness....on the short drive I added a few more birds...
Marsh Harrier, Grey Heron, Magpie
.......I decided to head for the lighthouse to try to catch up with some new arrivals....but it was pretty hard going with very little between the lighthouse and observatory building, I found a couple of Whitethroat and a Willow Warbler in the moat but nothing else....another birder said they had seen Ring Ouzal (apparently three had roosted near by)....but I couldn't find it....I went to the patch....not much, calm sea....but I did manage to add Gannet, Great Black-back Gull and a few flocks of Common Scoter....
I wandered toward the observatory and found a group of orchids right by the drive...
Early Purple I believe...
...then to the scrub area again, meeting the warden from the observatory who said it was quiet...an understatement....but I did add a few....
Meadow Pipit, Feral Pigeon, Cormorant, Dunnock, Linnet, Chiffchaff, Great Tit
With yesterdays news on the RSPB reserve I decided to call in to see if the long distance traveller was still around....it was...but very flighty...go to the first hide I was told....so off I went to find two people coming the other way in a hurry, its gone that way, possibly in front of the visitor centre...off we trotted...and there it was....with two friends...
Lesser Yellow Legs, 2 Greenshank
Nice....!
Whilst there I had a quick wander to the far side of the site....
Skylark, Cettis Warbler, Tufted Duck, Buzzard
Driving out a small flock of about 8 birds flew in to one of the fields...STOP...!
Whimbrel.......excellent!!!
I decided to head to Rye Harbour...but on the way I stopped again at Scotney Court Farm to see if I could get better views.....I did manage slightly better views of Yellow Wagtail...and even added a third wagtail species...which was rather pleasing, all three within a few yards of each other....I also found a second Corn Bunting....
Grey Wagtail, Rook, Jackdaw
By the time I got to Rye Harbour it had warmed up considerably...the tide was out....and I knew there wasn't much chance of any target birds....Tern species....so I did the quick circuit...
Avocet, Kestrel, Sandwich Tern
....home time...!
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