This morning I had the first moths in the trap this month. They were: 3 Hebrew Characters, 1 Common Quaker, 1 Small Quaker, 1 DS Pug, 1 Twenty-Plume and 1 Common Plume.

Small Quaker

Made my regular visit to Dunge today. The weather was fine but we struggled to find many migrants. On the ARC pit a Reed Warbler singing was my first of the year and we also found a Green Tiger Beetle. A Bittern was also heard. A search of the trapping area produced very little although a Peregrine did put up a lot of Gulls and Pigeons near the power station. On the main part of the RSPB Reserve a lone Whitethroat singing was a year tick. Another Bittern was heard. Two or three Great White Egrets were seen and a Little Egret flew past. Finally my companion found the Slavonian Grebe on Burrows Pit and a Whimbrel from the entrance track-both year ticks for me. Not a bad day then but I still haven't seen a Wheatear.

Little Egret

 Green Tiger Beetle

Spent a drizzly, misty but fairly windless day at Dunge today. The first new bird of the year was a Willow Warbler singing near the Hanson Hide. Along the Dengemarsh Road the 2 Cattle Egrets were still present and a Swallow provided my second year tick. Two LRPs on the Hayfields were also year ticks for me. The Marsh Harriers showed well and a Little Egret flew past as did a Raven. On the reserve a Sedge Warbler was my fourth new bird for the year. The area was experiencing a small fall of migrants, mainly Chiffchaffs, with one in the Lighthouse Garden a possible Siberian. We also had good views of  Firecrest and Black Redstart, which again were year ticks. Finally, the several Chiffchaffs along the Power Station Wall were accompanied by my final tick of the day: a Rock Pipit which we thought may be of the Scandinanvian race. So seven year ticks-not a bad day despite the weather.

Black Redstart

 Rock Pipit (Scandinavian?)

  

We have reached the end of the first quarter and the moth trap has been disappointing to say the least. So far there's been 1 March Moth, 1 Dotted Border, 1 Early Grey, 35 Hebrew Characters and 1 A.alstromeriana. I finally caught up with the 2 Little Owls at Oare today and some of the Godwits were in summer plumage.

 Black-tailed Godwit

 

Made a regular visit to Dunge today and spent most of the morning in the Hanson Hide due to the weather. However, we enjoyed a close flypast by a Bittern  and a Smew also came fairly close. We had a look for the Brambling seen yesterday on the reserve feeders but no luck there. After lunch we saw a Sandwich Tern and several Gannets from the Fishing Boats area, where a few Dunlin were roosting near the tideline.  Furthermore, the sun came out and we had another good flight view of a Bittern from the Springfield Bridge along the Dengemarsh Road. The 2 Cattle Egrets were also still present there near the chicken sheds. Four Marsh Harriers kept the duck and Lapwings on their toes.

 Dunlin

 Smew

I made a short visit to my local (Bossenden) wood around lunchtime today and finally caught up with a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. I had to walk well into to wood to find it and after hearing it call I had a fairly brief view before it disappeared again. I was slightly surprised to find a Redwing but it was much more confiding.

Redwing

Just Hebrew Characters in the moth trap-so not much to report there. Had a good views of the Short-eared Owl at Seasalter the other day but missed the Garganey at Stodmarsh yesterday, where a couple of Grebes were beginning their mating ritual.

 Great Crested Grebes