The first visit to Dungeness this year started with a brief Seawatch from the hide. In freezing conditions, we managed to add Gannet and razorbill to the year list. There were various sized flocks of Guillemots and several Razorbills flying past east. A flock of seven Red-throated Divers flew east and two Kittiwakes were also seen.
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| View from seawatching hide |
We headed back along Dungeness Road and drove along the entrance track, stopping to search for Tree Sparrows. Disappointingly we didn't find any in the front or back garden of the lodge. It's the first time in ten years of visiting that we have failed to see this species here. I hope we were just unlucky and it's not a decline of this species at Dungeness. A male Smew was found onTanner's Pool and a Great White Egret was in the same area. A walk along the track to Hooker's Pit produced a well overdue Cetti's Warbler and also several "pinging" Bearded Tits.
We left Dungeness and headed fifteen miles north along the coast to Hythe. Where we found two Purple Sandpipers on the groynes opposite the Hythe Bay Seafood Restaurant and Bar.
The final stop before heading for home was to Chatham Maritime Marina where after a quick drive around the marina we located two of the three Shag on basin No2.
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| Shag |
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