Black Brant to Tufted Duck

15th Nov.

Another visit to SS finding 9 egrets, c.1000 dunlin on the roost plus ringed plovers, several ringed plovers plus a handful of barwits and grey plovers. On the sea I counted 6 grebes and a dozen great black backed gulls. I moved onto the LNR finding 3 stonechats, a dozen reed buntings, 1 chaffinch and 1 linnet. On the back fields were c.500 golden plovers and c.500 brent which were back and forth onto the sea and at one point I had a close view of the black brant.

 The Black Brant

House Sparrow

16th 

A day out with the other half, I thought Hythe would be a nice place to go and look around the shops and of course I nearly forgot I could spend some time on the seafront, might be something to see. What a surprise, some purple sandpipers, spent a good hour with them waiting until they showed on the rocks.

  One of Three Purple Sandpipers at Hythe

17th

A short visit to SS finding a little grebe on the plots, 12 stock doves over flying, 1 stonechat, very quiet. On the sea shore, 7 egrets and I counted 83 bar-tailed godwits.

19th

Made a visit to Ramsgate harbour to see the shag reported the other day and on the way back I stopped at Hampton to see the purple sandpipers.

26th

Another short visit to SS seeing a few scoter flocks, 3 mergansers and a red-throated diver then mid-morning, no, not a trip to Folkestone to see the Forsters Tern but of home to get ready to attend a 50th wedding anniversary, which was very nice! The time I  heard about it I would have missed it anyway.

Sun. 27th

Back to SS seeing a black redstart in the chalet park, a little grebe in the 'set aside' dykes and back near the car 5 eiders inc. 2 nice adult males were on the sea, which later flew west after 20 minutes. Later a flock of c.60 greylags flew across towards Sheppey, the sea was quiet apart from a small raft of wigeon.  The plots were not very productive except for 2 marsh harriers, 6 fieldfares, 2 long-tailed tits etc..

 Some of the Five Eiders

28th

A nice sunny morning at SS and the incoming tide gave me time to  count 66 redshank in the tidal pools plus 7 grey plovers etc..  On the plots, quiet again but c.25 coots made quite a splash, plus a I saw a male sparrowhawk and lastly a water rail was squealing near the bridge. On the sea, 4 scoters flew west into the Swale and 2 RT divers flew east and just one gc grebe. It was also good to see the return of the lone rook on the sea wall by the toilet block, a regular visitor for a couple of years.   Then  return to Hampton seeing the two purple sandpipers, c.10 sanderling and a couple of redshanks.

29th Nov.

SS again finding the black redstart again but nothing new except for a tufted duck (new for the year)in with the wigeon raft, and a glimpse of the crane flying with a few swans on Sheppey.