An early start to pick up Gary and Dave before a drive to Dugeness bird observatory and RSPB reserve. On the beach by 7 and into the sea watch hide. Good movement of birds east: tealk, pintail, brent geese, red breasted merganser and gannet. Following this, where me met up with Stuart and Therese. A wander around the desert and trapping area offered little more than a couple of chiffchaffs. Disappointing as we were hoping for better migrants (black redstart, wheatear?). We then headed off to the RSPB reserve and immediately came across the long tailed duck, along with expected wild fowl, buzzards and marsh harriers. The latter showed well, with 6 in the sky along with 3 buzzards. Not to much of note before we went over to the Arc pit where we added ruff and goldeneye. A quick stop on the Causeway meant we scoped both white wagtail and water pipit along with the 1st little egret of the day. Following a shop for pies, stuart and Therese had to head home so the 3 of us headed for Oare Marshes on the north coast. Plenty of sandwich terns as well as a ciuple of grey ploverson the estuary and godwits, avocets, greylag and redshank on the reserve. A compact reserve with good concentrations of birds. A good godwit flypast showed several to be in summer plumage. A reed warbler was heard, making it 8 year listers for me: sandwich tern, sand martin, med gull, reed warbler, whute wag, ruff, water pipit and red breasted merganser.
Apart from a desperately jammed M25 and M11, a glorious day in hot, balmy conditions. A species count of 82, so a good total. Photos show:
Linnet
Dunnock
Black tailed godwits. Note the superb summer plumage on one near the top.
More godwits
Great crested grebe
Hybrid grelag goose
Marsh harrier
Egret with roosting avocet
Start if summer plumage godwit
End of winter plumage godwit
Highland cattle
Reed bunting
Meadow pipit
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