RX coastal birds Saturday afternoon
31st January 2009, SaturdayCamber Pits was interesting with parties of Starlings, dark - mantled Common Gulls, Lapwings and a good number of Curlew - at least forty accompanied by a Black-tailed godwit and four Ruffs along with a small Reeve (female Ruff). One of the Ruffs was rather gaudily bangled with red tassles on the leg.
At Pett Pools four or five of the Herring Gulls resting on the banks appeared to be Northern Herring Gulls. One bird in particular, a full adult, was a large individual with narrow black chevrons on the closed wingtip surrounded by white and a narrow black bar on the outer ‘hand.’ The bird was very pale eyed and the legs quite deep pink. It seemed a good fit for one of the Baltic Herring gulls of Latvia which often have reduced black in the wing tip.
The two Barnacle Geese passed overhead and later in the afternoon a Jack Snipe was seen by the Pools.
A rough sea and freshening wind at Dungeness Point where flocks of Guillemots were racing past and Kittiwakes sped low into the wind. A first winter Iceland Gull preened before a group of human admirers.
On the way back by The Midrips a large mass of Brent Geese appeared offshore, struggling eastwards. presumably part of the annual staging movement of bird towards Denmark where they will wait for the Arctic Spring.
At Hastings harbour another flock of Brent going up, determined to move on despite the weather forecast.
The Guillemot are in summer plumage and their spring return begins in February. Despite the cold wind a few Daffodils, Sweet violets and a single Red Deadnettle were in flower around and about Hastings Town yesterday, further signs of the shoots of spring.
Andrew Grace by e-mail