Not much doing at Dunge

With the weather changing and the wind at last coming from the south rather than the east I fancied some action at Dungeness today.

I collected my partners in crime and we arrived on site before 7.30am this morning.
From the beach we had ten Whimbrel (201) fly in although the Jim's somehow both managed to miss them fly in. Lot's of Scoter flew west as did seven Red Throated Diver and a Great Skua. Gannets dived and Porpoise breached close in. Sandwich and Common Tern flew to and from the patch and a Black Tern was reported but we didn't connect with it. We moved to the area around the observatory and found it alive with Firecrest. There must have been getting on for twenty birds in the area and at one point I had at least five within a few feet although the gloom and rain didn't help as far as the camera goes.

Firecrest

Gold Crest

Oystercatcher

A Redstart and probable Ouzel popped up from the moat area and the ringers were finding the nets obliging with repeated Firecrest presents. On the reserve we connected with five Yellow Wagtails (202) and a really clean White Wagtail too. I found a Sedge Warbler (203) singing by Denge Marsh hide but the Jims missed it trailing behind me on the path. I did locate a Willow Warbler that obliged in song to give them another tick for the year though.

A fox was seen taking advantage of the bird feeding area and stayed long enough for me to grab a few shots.

Fox

Fox

Fox

Not the action I thought we'd see but a decent day still had by all. Today was supposed to be the day when all those birds held up by the poor weather on the continent made a mass exit towards our shores but if they did I missed them and suspect because they're late and the wind was strong they carried on towards their breeding grounds with the exception of all the Firecrests of course.