Fallow Stag, Knowle Park.

Fallow Stag, Knowle Park.

Monday 25 September 2017

** Dungeness RSPB Reserve. **

The first order of the day was the visitors centre for coffee, and to scan the islands on Burrows Pit, I didn't see much which is what I kind of expected being as the islands have only recently been reconstructed, but there was plenty of Sand Martin's in the air, feeding up before their long flight back to Africa.
On the way to the Denge Marsh Hide 3 Green Woodpeckers flew across the track. Once I was settled in the hide the first, and most obvious species I saw was 3 GREAT WHITE EGRET, which was feeding close to their relative, the LITTLE EGRET. At the moment this area seems to me attracting wading birds, today I saw: Ruff, Lapwing, Snipe, Redshank,Golden Plover. A female Marsh Harrier was perched in a bush opposite the hide, until it decided to take to the wing and quartering the reads for food. Other species of bird seen from here was as follows: Mute Swan, Canada Geese, Greylag Geese, Grey Heron, Great Black Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Black Headed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Mallard, Teal, Gadwall, Pochard, Coot, Moorhen, 
Being content with what I had seen from here my only other stop was over the road to the ARC Pit, and the Hanson Hide, this is where I was hoping to see the species of bird I had come for.
There was about 6 or 7 people in the hide, and this is what a couple of them had come for too. I scanned the water, then the islands making a note of what I hadn't already seen, and after about 40 minutes in the far distance on the right near the reads was what I hoped for, the RED NECKED GREBE . I probably wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't turned up the magnification slightly. I told the guy next to me who got his scope on it, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared, still at least I saw it, even if I hadn't it wasn't the end of the world. There was some other nice birds there, 2 LITTLE STINTS, which are a small wading bird, and 2 BLACK TERN, , and another Great White Egret.
Some of the species there I had already seen, but the one's I hadn't was as follows: Cormorant, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Common Gull, Tufted Duck, Shoveller, Wigeon, Black Tailed Godwit, Dunlin,
The birds listed here are ones that was seen in general from the tracks: Kestrel, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Pied Wagtail, Starling(large numbers) Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, C/Crow, Cetti's Warbler.
My Bird Of The Day is easy today, it can only be the  ** RED NECKED GREBE **

1 comment:

  1. Hi Ken, It would really upset me if I saw something worthwhile and did'nt get a picture of it.

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