Goosing around

A good Goose day today.

Walland Marsh, 09:00 to 10:00
213+ Bewick's Swans (Hawthorn Corner), 3 Red-legged Partridges (Caldecott Lane), 1 Marsh Harrier (Tickners Lane), 1 Common Buzzard (Brenzett), 2 Kestrels, 9 Stock Doves, 5 Tree Sparrows (Baynham Farm), 2 Greenfinches.

Lydd, 10:00 to 10:30
1 Little Egret (Airport ditch), 1 Common Buzzard (Golf Club), 1 Song Thrush, 2 Mistle Thrushes, 2 Long-tailed Tits.

Dungeness RSPB Reserve, 10:30 to 12:00
7 Barnacle Geese & 5 Tundra Bean Geese (fields by Boulderwall Farm), 6+ Goldeneye (2 drakes - all ARC), 11 Smew (2 drakes & 6 redheads on ARC, 3 redheads on Burrowes), 2 Bitterns (ARC & Boulderwall Farm fields), 3 Great White Egrets (2 at Boulderwall, 1 Burrowes), 2 Grey Herons, 2 Marsh Harriers, 1 Kestrel, 1 Water Rail (heard from Hanson Hide), 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Dunnocks, 2 Stonechats (Entrance track - a pair), 1 Cetti's Warbler (heard), 1 Goldcrest (ARC Willow Trail), 1 Firecrest (ARC Pit - track to Hanson Hide), 2 Bearded Tits (Entrance track), 4 Tree Sparrows (Boulderwall Farm), 1 Reed Bunting.

A pair of Smew on the ARC Pit from the Hanson Hide.

Scotney Gravel Pits, 12:00 to 12:30
1 Scaup (female)

Next stop was Pett Level in East Sussex for more Goose action. 4 Pink-footed Geese were reasonably easy to pick out from the seawall amongst the many Greylag's and Canada's. Good numbers of White-fronted and Brent too. A Raven cronked overhead as it flew east. Other highlights: 2 Little Egrets, 2 Black-tailed Godwits with the Lapwing, Curlew, Dunlin and Redshank flock, 1 Common Buzzard and 2 Shelduck. Offshore hundreds of Great Crested Grebes (including a leucistic individual - seen earlier this winter at Dungeness ???), plenty of Red-throated Divers, a few Common Scoters and a handful of Auks.

Then into the very under-watched Rother Valley - fields still flooded in places.

Wittersham, 14:00 - Blackwall Bridge
4 Gadwall, 1 Shoveler (drake with Teal & Wigeon on flooded area), 2 Grey Heron, 2 Wrens.

Potman's Heath, 14:30
4 Pintails (3 drakes and 1 duck on flooded fields with large numbers of Teal, Wigeon Gadwall, Mallard, Shoveler and Lapwing), 3 Pochards, 2 Tufted Ducks, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Rolvenden, 15:00 - Hexden Channel
2 Pheasants, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Barn Owls.