WINTER HELD AT BAY(SO FAR)

The unseasonal weather continues with intermittent sunny days that entice one into visions of spring,even the rooks were repairing nests in Pencester Gardens, far too soon.Several Grey Wagtails,two Little Egrets and a Chiff Chaff were enjoying the sunshine there too.

GREY WAGTAIL

LITTLE EGRET

A stroll along the Admiralty Pier found the usual suspects plus this adult Mediterranean Gull on the water.There is a large wintering population on the East Cliff at Folkestone and they are becoming more common elsewhere too.

MEDITERRANEAN GULL.

Following the murkiest Tuesday at Samphire Hoe I was in need of a long walk in the sun on Wednesday and walked along the foreshore at Sandwich Bay,Velvet Scoters were in evidence on the tide flow and when they drifted too far they would take to the air fly downtide,land, recommence feeding and repeat the process over again.

VELVET SCOTERS can be identified by the white scapulars on the wings

VELVET SCOTERS winter visitors from Baltic regions and further afield

SANDERLING followed by a single TURNSTONE

LET SLEEPING SCOTERS LAY.The loose flocks the largest I counted at 76 individuals were all it seemed female or immature.

COMMON SCOTERS were mostly asleep but I found this one awake.

LAPLAND BUNTING on Princes Golf Course.

On the way home at SUTTON I couldn`t resist this gorgeous sunset.

ITS FORSTERS TERN,NO IT WAS IAN ROBERTS`

Saturday morning watching England being beaten in the test match,checked my phone Ian Roberts tweet "Forsters Tern Princes Parade Hythe"..20 minutes later I pulled up behind him and he gave me the thumbs up,the bird was sitting on the beach.A striking bird looking like the lone ranger with its black mask gave most of Kents birders a great show for the next couple of hours.

FORSTERS TERN from North America only the second Kent record.

GUILLEMOT WELLINGTON DOCK DOVER HARBOUR

ADULT MALE BLACK REDSTART ADMIRALTY PIER  DOVER

KITTIWAKE ADMIRALTY PIER  DOVER Don`t recall seeing one as dark as this before.

Had to go to Sussex on Friday so as a Desert Wheatear was near where I was heading thought it would be rude not to pay a visit to Normans Bay near Pevensey to see it,

DESERT WHEATEAR Which has arrived here from east of the Caspian Sea,en route to North Africa.

A VERY LATE NORTHERN WHEATEAR AT SAMPHIRE HOE on Sunday morning.

PINTAIL This rather nice drake of uncertain origins has taken up residence in Kearsney Abbey Dover,and it seems to have taken a fancy to a female mallard........

LITTLE EGRET IN BUSHY RUFF.

THE SPIRIT OF BRITAIN MAKING A SWIFT BREXIT FROM THE WESTERN ENTRANCE.

DUCKS, ANGUS, AND WAXWING WEDNESDAY

Its duck time, this pair of Mandarin Ducks appeared in Bushy Ruff,The drake is still coming out of eclipse so is not quite as grand as he will be soon,originall from China but now established as a breeding bird here.

MANDARIN DRAKE, not in full breeding plumage but getting there.

The female is less gaudy but still lovely plumage.

GUILLEMOT Conducting the aukestra at Samphire hoe.Don`t blame me blame Paul Holt.

THE SNOW BUNTINGS remained at South Foreland for at least two weeks.

RING NECKED DUCK AT DUNGENESS an American diving duck that occurs annually in the UK,similar to our Tufted Duck.

GOLDENEYE these two females also at Dungeness

They are also a diving duck

A FLIGHT OF WIGEON

 GADWALL DRAKE

AN INTERESTING FUNGII AT DUNGENESS Can`t find it in my book?

 RECORD SHOT OF CATTLE EGRET AT DUNGENESS

 WHOOPER SWAN AT WEST HYTHE

 DELFT SEAWAYS NEARING PORT

 WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER FROM ADMIRALTY PIER

 A SHOWER AT DUNGENESS

PIED WAGTAIL ON THE PIER

JUVENILE SHAG IN THE WELLINGTON DOCK,this one is not ringed but previously birds ringed in Scotland have turned up here.

Storm Angus last weekend nearly ended in disaster when the SAGA SKY lost power and drifted onto the rock barge anchored off Samphire Hoe if the barge had not been there who knows where it would have ended up.

SAGA SKY with substantial damage on her starboard side.
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Reports of Waxwings arriving is always exciting and news of 5 at PEGWELL COUNTRY PARK  got the trigger finger twitching.

Hopefully there will be more to come so keep an eye out for them wherever there are lots of red berries.

I will say bye for now with a big wave