Back on the Patch

A later start then expected, saw me arrive at the farm car park at 7. (Fisher's Green car park gates still locked) which means that the Bittern hide will also still be locked. I still take a quick walk round to Seventy Acres Lake, but no new arrivals to be seen. So headed off towards "The Goose Fields". Reaching the overflow car park I could see some geese in the first field. A scan with bins and then scope got me onto the Pink-footed Goose that was reported the previous day by Mike Oakland. A patch tick and the list reaches 80.

The goose fields hold pairs of Redshank, Shelduck and Shoveler, but despite my best efforts and constant scanning I can't find any Yellow Wagtails or Wheatears in either field. Two Pied Wagtails are all that show.

I continue on with a circular walk around Langridge Scrape which produces plenty of Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Skylarks, but again no Yellow Wags or Wheatears. Returning to Langridge Scrape I do at least spot one of the LRP's first seen on the 5th.

The Rain starts to get heavier so I start to make my way back towards the car. Reaching the corner of the field and hedgerow there are more singing Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs and a very noisy Cetti's. Then I hear and soon locate my first Willow Warbler (81) on the patch this year.

Two morning visits in the last three days produces seven patch ticks, not bad at all. With more migrants arriving within the next couple of weeks it should be a productive time on the patch. 

A slow start ends with a flourish

A text from Brian Friday night saying meet at the usual spot at six, and the planning for the following day is over.

We meet at six and head for Dungeness. The reserve gates are still closed when we arrive, So we pull over further along the road, and scan Arc Pit where we quickly locate the Spoonbill which has been present since the 31st March. It takes to the air and flies directly over our heads, circles round and lands back on the pit and starts to feed.

From here we drive on to the beach, We find a few Wheatears on the shingle around the old lighthouse, but apart from these the area proves to be really quiet with only a couple of Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and a single Black Redstart of note.

We move on to the reserve where again it's quiet, We hear 3-4 Sedge Warblers on the walk round to Denge Marsh, But there's no sign of the Garganey that was last reported from here on the 5th.

News of a Garganey comes through on the pager, So we head off to Rye Harbour in search of it. After a walk of about a mile we reach the hide. A couple are already in the hide and they ask Brian "What's the strange duck  called that's in front of the hide" This proves to be a drake Garganey and with it a female.

Scanning the lake we find another pair of Garganey along the back edge, and among the Black-headed Gulls there are nine adult Med Gulls and a 1st winter. Then Brian picks out two Yellow Wagtails on the grass bank, and high in the sky are 10+ House Martins and five Swallows. A final scan of the lake reveals a fifth Garganey another drake and we have all five Garganeys in the same view through the scope.

The walk back to the car is not as hard as the walk out, even so it doesn't stop dad trying to get a lift back in the farmers trailer.

A quiet start to the day ends with seven year ticks. 

Morning at Lee Valley

Spent the morning at Lee Valley Country Park (my local patch). 

The morning started well with a singing Blackcap heard and then seen almost as soon as leaving the car. Chiffchaff was quickly added soon after around the overflow car park, and I  saw or heard double figures of this species by mid-day. A pair of Shelduck flew on to one of the small pools on the Goose Fields while I was heading down towards the Grand Weir hide. 

On the way around to Langridge Scrape I added Rook to my patch list total with 5 birds feeding on the ploughed field around the scrape. After dropping down into the ditch and viewing the scrape from the middle ridge, I bump into Mike Oakland and he like me was searching for the first Little Ringed Plovers of the year,  A Snipe is spotted along the front of one of the islands, but no LPR's. I decide to walk around to the north side and view the scrape from the other side. It turned out to be a good move, as two LRP's were seen on the end of the small island. A first for the year and another patch tick. The top field added another patch year tick with two Red-Legged Partridge.
The walk back to the car produced two Little Owls, One in the usual spot at the farms and another flying into the trees on the ridge.
A good morning with Five patch year ticks and one year tick added.