Down to Seasalter again on 11th., the weather was mild and dull, I was not expecting anything of note but whilst scanning the sea and counting 8 g.c.grebes I picked a couple of sawbills. I was hoping for some mergansers soon for this autumn but these two were goosanders, a most unusual record. Last seen about ten years ago by me on the pumping station dyke but never on the sea. Further on at S.Swale, Amco Ltd was constructing their little campsite as they were going to be repairing some of the seawall further up near C.Coote as the sea was beginning to undermine the concrete sea wall.
The tide was now out and the mudflats were almost deserted except for c.300 knot and on the landward side the c.1500 flock of brent were on the arable including the 'white one'. Mid-morning a few flocks of fieldfares were going west, c.250 plus a few chaffinches.
Another visit on the afternoon of the 12th only produced a cetti's along the wall plus the brent flock and a flying display by a peregrine chasing a lapwing for about ten minutes. All the brents, goldies and lapwings went up as the peregrine approached, cutting out one poor lapwing which gave a good account of its ability. Either the peregrine was just having a game or the lapwing was more agile but I watched for ten minutes before the peregrine finally pounced on it near the ground. Once caught and about a minute after the peregrine started to fly up and over its kill as if showing off then flew off without it!
Today, 14th. Stopped at the beach roost counting 63 redshank, 88 ringed plover (another 100 roosting by the huts) plus dunlin etc.. The wind was getting stronger all morning so abandoned my walk at 11.30 not before seeing a green sandpiper fly across the road by the Sportsman and drop into the dyke to the west.
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