Meant to post more photos.....

but life got in the way!

Tetrads needed to be completed.They have to be done by the end of the month and the results need to be in before I go to Scotland next week.

I had a couple of birding trips planned. Bob and I needed to return to Rye to try again for the Shorelark that has been there for 7 weeks is it or 8 now! Last time it was a w/e and a very sunny day and too much disturbance.

We went on Friday morning to arrive about 8am and hopefully get the bird feeding and few people about.

We spotted a birder plus small well behaved dog right by the hut sheltering from the wind. Boy does it wind there!
There was the Shorelark posing on a rock ! So simple it was laughable. We watched the bird for quite a while as it disappeared in and out of grasses and up and dowm slopes. I even managed a record shot but they still have to be down loaded and they might be so bad they wont be posted!
Bob spotted a Common Seal hauled up on the shore and later with gentle waves washing it!
The scope kept wobbling and it wasn't til saturday that I realised it wasn't the head at fault but when I had put the scoipe back on I had put it on backwards! One of my birding friends discovered this on Sat when we were in the Forest of Dean!

We went on to Dungeness via Denge Marsh Road where the ARMY mod were firing, lots of red flags about. Surreal scanning through bins with gunfire in the background!

We spotted some geese but could only see Greylags and Canada's.

On to the RSPB centre and a welcome cup of hot chocolate.
One of the guys working there was on his day off and had just arrived. He informed us of the 3 Caspians that had been seen there the day before, we were already looking for Caspians...so good to know some were about.

But real wild Barnacle Geese had flown in recently and he told us where they were usually seen from...yes they were on Denge marsh but had been seen from the viewing ramp...so round we went! Blowin a hooly as only Dunge can we battled our way around!

We spotted "our" geese no Barnacles and as I said "there may be another group", Bob spotted them...really close to the Denge Marsh Road so must have just flown there.

We had time to look watch and put a party of older birders onto them(many looking through our scopes) and there was rapid gunfire and as the Lapwings went up so the Barnacles took off and flew away.

Back at the Centre I found a 2nd winter Caspian! Finally quest complete!
Bob had actually spotted it but said nothing so I had had the opportunity to find it for myself! Satisfaction! We went through all the id points. Back at the car later I showed Bob an article I had found on the net describing text and photos the same bird going through its 2nd winter cycle!

We also saw a possible near adult but it was a long way away and we couldn't see all features so gull sp. Later we saw the young man again and learnt that they had had a 2nd and 3rd winter bird with an adult.

There were plenty of ducks about the best being a Male Smew and 4 Redheads and 2 Goosanders.
We also saw Cetti's flying across our path.
Earlier on the road from Denge M to Dunge we had close views of a Little Owl as it scowled at us!