Thursday 31 January 2019

January 31st
It was a beautiful sunny and still winter's morning even though the temperature was subzero and  the River Wantsum was freezing over. It began with 38 Golden Plover flying W high over my garden at Bishopstone as I was eating my breakfast.
We then drove to Chamber's Wall and walked up to the seawall and counted 18 Corn Buntings, 2 Curlew, 14 Skylarks, 66 Mallard, 3 Sanderling, 1 Teal, 22 Red-throated Divers flying E, 1 Stonechat, 64 Oystercatchers flying down towards Thanet, 34 Carrion Crows, 1 Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Great Crested Grebe and 20 Reed Buntings.

A freezing River Wantsum

While we were doing this Matt walked round Shuart and recorded 20 Snipe, 500 Lapwings, 1 Ruff (108th), 2 Green Woodpeckers, 3 Golden Plovers, 2 Common Buzzards and 2 Long-tailed Tits.

Wednesday 30 January 2019

January 30th
We didn't get any overnight snow, just rain, and this morning dawned bright with a bitter WNW wind blowing. We walked from Reculver to Coldharbour and recorded 79 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Common Scoter, 45 Red-throated Divers, 1 Kestrel, 1 Marsh Harrier, 2 Little Grebes, 1 Great Northern Diver, 1 adult male Peregrine, 30 Mallard, 1 Ringed Plover, 7 Grey Plover, 93 Oystercatchers, 2 Stonechats, 17 Corn Buntings, 2 Turnstone, 1 Curlew, 2 Snow Buntings, 84 Carrion Crows, 5 Shelduck, 1 Little Egret and 2 Redshank.
Later Matt discovered a Common Treecreeper (107th) singing at Reculver.

Tuesday 29 January 2019

January 29th
On a very cold morning we walked from Reculver to Coldharbour and back and recorded 120 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 12 Oystercatchers, 33 Mute Swans, 9 Ringed Plovers, 1 Grey Plover, 17 Redshank, 1 Short-eared Owl, 2 Marsh Harriers, 2 Snow Buntings, 2 Turnstone, 58 Carrion Crows, 32 Mallard, 6 Shelduck, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Grey Heron and 1 Great Crested Grebe.

Male Snow Bunting

Monday 28 January 2019

January 28th
It was cold, windy but bright as we arrived at the Towers at 0730 for a 90 minute seawatch. We counted 25 Red-throated Divers W, 17 Kittiwakes W, 51 Oystercatchers, 32 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 420 Herring Gulls W, 1 second winter Yellow-legged Gull W, 5 Great Crested Grebes W, 1 Great Northern Diver W, 1 Guillemot on the sea and 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull W.
We then drove to Chamber's Wall and Coldharbour where we saw 6 Yellowhammers, 14 Magpies, 130 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 7 Shelduck, 5 Mute Swans, 18 Mallard, 17 Carrion Crows, 1 Curlew and 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull W.

Shelduck in Coldharbour

Sunday 27 January 2019

January 27th
We didn't venture out until after lunch and then with a chilly and blustery wind blowing had a short walk at Reculver and a longer one at Shuart. Birds we saw included 44 Mute Swans, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Moorhen, 2 Jays, 1 Little Egret, 10 Redshank, 16 Dark-bellied Brent Geese over the seawall at Minnis Bay, 56 Mallard, 2 Teal and 2 Chiffchaffs.

Saturday 26 January 2019

January 26th
It was milder and breezy this morning but there was not a great deal to see as we walked from Chamber's Wall to Coldharbour, just 1 Common Buzzard, 10 Mute Swans, 27 Oystercatchers, 25 Mallard, 4 Redshank, 54 Carrion Crows, 2 Shelduck, 30 Common Scoter, 1 Golden Plover, 1 Great Crested Grebe and 1 Green Woodpecker.
Later this morning Richard Collins found the Hooded Crow with Carrion Crows east of Coldharbour.

Friday 25 January 2019

January 25th
On a wet and overcast morning we walked along the seawall from Reculver to Coldharbour. We saw 33 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 32 Carrion Crows, 1 Hooded Crow on the beach by the Towers at 0730, 5 Redshank, 18 Oystercatchers, 17 Ringed Plovers, 3 Curlew, 1 Grey Plover, 19 Mallard, 3 Stonechats, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Mute Swans, 4 Shelduck, 1 Corn Bunting, 14 Teal, 1 Little Egret and 1 adult male Peregrine.
Whilst out running this morning Julian Perry saw a ring-tailed Hen Harrier (106th)  on the southern side of the Marsh.
This morning at the Minnis Bay end of the recording area Terry Wilson counted 6 Curlew, 12 Ringed Plovers, 10 Dunlin, 35 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 8 Redshank, 5 Grey Plovers, 3 Little Egrets, 1 Grey Heron, 30 Common Scoter and 30 Great Crested Grebes.

Thursday 24 January 2019

January 24th
After yesterday's washout this morning dawned bright but with sub zero temperatures as we arrived at Chamber's Wall. We walked up to Coldharbour and then on to the Oyster Farm with the tide a long way out. The highlight of the morning was finding a Hooded Crow (104th) out on the tide's edge at the Wantsum outflow with some of the local Carrion Crows. This is the first Hooded Crow seen in the area since 2011.



Hooded Crow

Other birds we saw included 6 Yellowhammers, 15 Blackbirds, 10 Chaffinches, 2 Marsh Harriers, 4 Stonechats, 12 Corn Buntings, 28 Linnets, 35 Mallard, 57 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 8 Shelduck, 12 Redshank, 1 Green Woodpecker, 18 Oystercatchers, 30 Carrion Crows, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Snipe and 2 Gadwall.
This afternoon between 1330 and 1530 Mike Roser walked up to Coldharbour and his highights were 2 Snow Buntings at Coldharbour, 2 Short-eared Owls at the Oyster Farm, 22 Ringed Plovers, 1 Sparrowhawk and 1 Jack Snipe (105th) near Coldharbour.

Wednesday 23 January 2019

January 23rd
On a thoroughly revolting morning with a fresh and freezing north wind blowing in wintry showers we did not spend a lot of time out and subsequently did not see a great deal. Matt spent 40 minutes at the Towers and only saw 200 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 3 Sanderling and 3 Red-throated Divers. Whilst he was doing this we walked inland and recorded 2 Common Buzzards and 1 Great Crested Grebe.

Tuesday 22 January 2019

January 22nd
We arrived at Reculver at first light just as the overnight rain had moved through east. In an uninspiring two hour seawatch we saw 470 Cormorants, 19 Red-throated Divers W, 1 Oystercatcher, 38 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 4 Great Crested Grebes, 30 Common Scoter on the sea down toward Minnis Bay, 1 large auk W, 5 Kittiwakes W, 1 Redshank, 200 Herring Gulls W and 2 Shelduck W.
After this we drove down to Minnis Bay where the tide was coming in and counted 138 Oystercatchers, 61 Grey Plovers, 4 Curlew, 110 Great Crested Grebes, 82 Dunlin, 1 Little Egret, 34 Ringed Plovers, 86 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Fulmar and 14 Redshank.

Dark-bellied Brent Geese

Monday 21 January 2019

January 21st
On another beautiful winter's morning we had our first ringing session of the year on the Marsh south of the railway. Birds we saw during three and a half hours included 2 Common Buzzards, 51 Cormorants flying out to sea, 140 Corn Buntings, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Redwing, 12 Yellowhammers, 17 Mute Swans, 11 Golden Plovers, 1 Sparrowhawk, 70 Reed Buntings, 7 Lapwings W, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 12 Chaffinches, 1 Marsh Harrier and 1 Fieldfare.

Birds ringed 23: Reed Bunting 18, Cetti's Warbler 1, Yellowhammer 2, Song Thrush 1, Blackbird 1

Female Yellowhammer

Sunday 20 January 2019

January 20th
On a beautiful still, sunny and frosty morning we started at Reculver and then drove one car to Chamber's Wall before walking back to Reculver. We saw a good range of species including 1 juvenile Kittiwake, 1 Peregrine, 300 Cormorants, 9 Great Crested Grebes, 9 Yellowhammers, 54 Corn Buntings, 15 Chaffinches, 20 Blackbirds, 8 Redwing, 41 Mute Swans, 180 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Grey Partridges, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 35 Reed Buntings, 4 Coot, 45 Linnets, 1 Little Egret, 3 Redshank, 39 Mallard, 4 Goldfinches, 4 Grey Plovers, 6 Shelduck, 5 Oystercatchers, 3 Turnstone, 40 Common Scoter, 13 Red-throated Divers, 3 Stonechats, 1 Common Buzzard, 48 Ringed Plovers, 1 Snipe (103rd), 50 Meadow Pipits, 4 Lapwings and 2 Long-tailed Tits.

Saturday 19 January 2019

January 19th
It was another cold morning as we walked from Chamber's Wall to Coldharbour and recorded 1 Kestrel, 1 Grey Heron, 18 Blackbirds, 2 Goldfinches, 4 Redwings, 13 Chaffinches, 2 Coot, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Stonechats, 35 Mallard, 66 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 5 Oystercatchers, 1 Little Egret, 3 Shelduck, 5 Mute Swans, 2 Redshank and 1 Corn Buntings.

Female Stonechat

Friday 18 January 2019

January 18th
On a freezing but still morning we walked from Chamber's Wall to Coldharbour and on to the Oyster Farm lagoons. Birds we saw included 1 Short-eared Owl, 31 Corn Buntings, 7 Yellowhammers, 2 Redwings, 4 Coot, 424 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 12 Blackbirds, 23 Mallard, 2 Little Egrets, 20 Reed Buntings, 5 Shelduck, 4 Goldfinches, 14 Oystercatchers, 1 Curlew, 2 Snow Buntings, 7 Mute Swans, 3 Grey Plovers, 1 Redshank and 2 Stonechats.

Female Snow Bunting


Thursday 17 January 2019

January 17th
With a cold NW wind blowing this morning I spent an hour and a half seawatchng at the Towers. Most birds recorded were flying W and included 300 Herring Gulls, 1 adult "intermedius"  Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 first winter Yellow-legged Gull (102nd), 80 Black-headed Gulls, 18 Common Gulls, 10 Great Black-backed Gulls, 31 Kittiwakes, 35 Cormorants, 4 Red-throated Divers, 1 male Common Scoter, 1 Guillemot and 1 Great Crested Grebe sitting on the sea and 278 Dark-bellied Brent Geese flying down towards Thanet.

Wednesday 16 January 2019

January 16th
On an unpleasant and overcast morning with a very blustery SW wind blowing we visted one or two sheltered spots on the Marsh but didn't see anything noteworthy. All we recorded was 2 Common Buzzards, 4 Goldfinches, 8 Mute Swans with the Black Swan still in attendance, 240 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 35 House Sparrows, 1 Kestrel, 250 Woodpigeons, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Gadwall and 1 Goldcrest.

Black Swan with Mute Swan
At Grenham Bay this morning Terry Wilson saw lots of Grey Plovers and some Curlew as well as 50 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and a Pergrine taking a Dunlin. There were also 50 Great Crested Grebes and at Minnis Bay, 40 Sanderling, 12 Redshanks and 5 Turnstones.

Tuesday 15 January 2019

January 15th
It was another overcast morning as we walked from Chamber's Wall to Coldharbour and then on to the Oyster Farm. We recorded 2 Mute Swans, 15 Blackbirds, 2 Coot, 2 Corn Buntings, 1 Little Egret, 3 Shelduck, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Redshank, 18 Mallard, 1 adult male Peregrine hunting low along the tide line, 2 Stonechats feeding on insects disturbed by the Environment Agency bulldozer, 42 Carrion Crows, 2 Snow Buntings at Coldharbour, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Redwing and 1 Yellowhammer.

Female Stonechat feeding on the beach

Monday 14 January 2019

January 14th
We had a relatively quiet seawatch at Reculver between 0740 and 0900. Birds flying E included 12 Oystercatchers, 31 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 1 Shelduck and flying W we counted 86 Red-throated Divers, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 270 Herring Gulls, 1 Razorbill (100th), 5 Sanderling and 1 large auk.
We then walked inland and recorded 1 Goldcrest, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Gadwall (101st), 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Green Woodpecker and 1 Sparrowhawk.
This afternoon we walked around Shuart and saw 1 Kestrel, 18 Mute Swans, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 1 Chiffchaff, 3 Goldcrests, 2 Common Buzzards, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Redshank, 1 Water Rail and 1 Little Owl.

Sunday 13 January 2019

January 13th
With a very fresh westerly wind blowing and overcast conditions this morning we walked from Minnis Bay to Plumpudding. The tide was on the way out and we didn't see a great deal just 122 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Stonechats, 1 adult "graellsii" Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Sanderling, 45 Carrion Crows, 19 Mute Swans, 250 Cormorants, 1 Rock Pipit (99th) and 1 Curlew.
On the way home we dropped in at Shuart where we saw 8 Goldfinches, 1 Common Buzzard, 24 Mallard, 12 Long-tailed Tits, 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrests and 2 Ring-necked Parakeets.

Adult winter plumaged  "graellsii" Lesser Black-backed Gull

Saturday 12 January 2019

January 12th
Matt was out on the Marsh in the dark at 0700 and had brief views of a Long-eared Owl (98th).
We met him later at Reculver and then we walked up to Coldharbour and recorded 1 Common Buzzard, 121 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Kestrel, 2 Redshank, 1 Marsh Harrier, 2 Mute Swans, 18 Oystercatchers, 2 Curlew, 2 Corn Buntings, 60 Cormorants, 2 Snow Buntings, 15 Mallard, 3 Shelduck, 1 Little Egret, 3 Stonechats, 34 Carrion Crows, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull W and 17 Goldfinches.

Friday 11 January 2019

January 11th
On an overcast morning we walked from Chamber's Wall to the Oyster Farm. The Environment Agency is in the process of repairing the beach between Reculver and Minnis Bay over the next two week. This does not seem to be affecting the birds too much and we even had 2 Snow Buntings feeding unconcernedly within 20 feet of this passing dumper truck.


Other birds we saw included 28 Blackbirds, 20 Reed Buntings, 6 Redwings, 9 Mute Swans, 1 Fieldfare, 16 Chaffinches, 22 Linnets, 4 Coot, 145 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 42 Mallard, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 3 Grey Plovers, 4 Shelduck, 18 Oystercatchers, 5 Redshank, 1 Little Egret, 2 Stonechats, 2 Skylarks, 3 Yellowhammers, 1 Great Crested Grebe and 8 Goldfinches.

Thursday 10 January 2019

January 10th
We had a change of scenery today and visited the Dungeness area. Birds we saw included 3 Cattle Egrets, 3 Great White Egrets, 34 Bewick's Swans, 6 Goldeneye and 1 Raven all of which I'd be very pleased to see at Reculver!

Wednesday 9 January 2019

January 9th
Another hour's seawatch this morning did not produce much more than yesterday just 1 Kittiwake W (97th), 25 Red-throated Divers, 362 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 intermedius Lesser Black-backed Gull W and 21 Cormorants. On the way home I saw 10 Goldfinches, 650 Woodpigeons and 1 Common Buzzard.

Woodpigeons on winter wheat

Tuesday 8 January 2019

January 8th
With a fresh to strong NW wind forecast I arrived at Reculver at first light and seawatched for one hour. It was surprisingly quiet and apart from 700 Herring Gulls flying W all I saw was 17 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 19 Red-throated Divers. The only highlight was a Great Northern Diver flying W. As the bird that was seen during December and the first couple of days of 2019 was found dead on 3rd, this is obviously a new bird in the area.
After this we walked inland and recorded 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Kestrel, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Common Buzzard, 18 Chaffinches and 11 Goldfinches.
Richard Collins also did a seawatch between 1100 and 1210 and recorded 21 Red-throated Divers, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Gannet and 1 Knot W (96th).

Monday 7 January 2019

January 7th
This morning we walked from Reculver to Coldharbour and recorded 1 Common Buzzard, 82 Meadow Pipits, 274 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 18 Mute Swans, 62 Cormorants, 1 Kestrel, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 24 Linnets, 20 Corn Buntings, 32 Oystercatchers, 6 Red-throated Divers, 5 Redshank, 1 Grey Plover, 7 Dunlin, 24 Ringed Plovers, 1 Stonechat, 36 Mallard, 1 Curlew, 5 Shelduck, 1 Short-eared Owl flying out of Coldharbour, 6 Turnstone, 2 Sanderling and 6 Goldfinches.
This afternoon a walk inland at Reculver produced 1 Redshank, 1 Green Sandpiper (95th), 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 11 Mute Swans, 1 Black Swan and 1 Great Crested Grebe.

Sunday 6 January 2019

January 6th 
This morning we walked from Chamber's Wall to the Oyster Farm and recorded 12 Redwing, 10 Blackbirds, 4 Fieldfare, 15 Magpies, 1 Green Woodpecker, 4 Coot, 2 Golden Plovers, 3 Redshank, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Stonechat, 1 Kingfisher, 22 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 43 Mallard, 5 Shelduck, 14 Oystercatchers, 4 Turnstone, 36 Carrion Crows, 2 Snow Buntings flying towards Reculver, 1 female Red-breasted Merganser (91st)  flying W, 14 Linnets, 1 Little Egret, 3 Corn Buntings, 1 Marsh Harrier and 2 Goldcrests.
Matt was also out this morning and walked from Chamber's Wall and along the railway embankment to the Oyster Farm. His highlights were 1 Firecrest (92nd) on the railway embankment, 105 Corn Buntings, 1 Water Rail (93rd) and 1 Black Swan in with the Mute Swans on the Marsh. On the way home a Merlin flew across the road near Shuart.
Tom Speller walked from Reculver to Plumpudding during the afternoon and counted 5 Red-throated Divers, 1 female Red-breasted Merganser, 61 Grey Plovers, 94 Ringed Plovers, 200 Oystercatchers, 19 Curlew, 10 Dunlin, 20 Redshank, 496 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 5 Shelduck,  45 Mallard, 1 Little Egret, 1 Great Crested Grebe and 2 Marsh Harriers. He also saw a bull Grey Seal.

Grey Seal - Tom Speller
Derek Smith walked from Shuart to Plumpudding between 1430 and 1700 and saw 2 Marsh Harriers, 38 Golden Plovers, 1 Barn Owl, 1 Little Owl (94th) calling, 2 Cetti's Warblers and 1 Chiffchaff.

Saturday 5 January 2019

January 5th
This morning we spent half an hour at the Towers but it was very slow and all we saw were 74 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 9 Red-throated Divers and 1 Great Crested Grebe. We then drove over to Minnis Bay before driving one car back to Shuart. From here we walked to Netherhale and Brooksend before returning to Minnis Bay. We saw 2 Marsh Harriers, 1 Chiffchaff, 4 Ring-necked Parakeets, 312 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 21 Mute Swans, 6 Redshank, 1 Lapwing, 2 Common Buzzartds, 3 Green Woodpeckers, 2 Red-legged Partridges, 1 Kestrel, 1 Jay, 3 Goldcrests, 18 Goldfinches, 6 Pied Wagtails, 1 Little Grebe, 35 Teal, 34 Mallard, 1 Shoveler (90th), 8 Grey Herons, 2 Great Crested Grebes and 12 Common Scoter flying E.
Derek Smith was out between 1100 and 1400 and completed a similar walk and in addition to what we saw, recorded 1 Sparrowhawk, 36 Redwings, 6 Fieldfares, 2 Chiffchaffs and 6 Goldcrests.

Friday 4 January 2019

January 4th
There was a freezing wind blowing in off the sea this morning as we walked from Reculver to Coldharbour. We saw 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Redshank, 4 Lapwings, 1 Green Woodpecker, 5 Turnstone, 42 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 12 Oystercatchers, 8 Mallard, 2 Shelduck, 14 Linnets, 11 Great Black-backed Gulls, 1 Marsh Harrier, 3 Stonechats, 2 Grey Plovers and 1 Curlew.

Grey Plover
Matt was also out this morning and at Shuart birds he saw included 1 Woodcock (82nd), 2 Common Buzzards and 1 Marsh Harrier and at Reculver he saw 1 Gannet, 40 Red-throated Divers, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Guillemot (83rd), 1 male Common Scoter (84th), 1 adult Mediterranean Gull (85th) and 1 Great Crested Grebe. Out on the Marsh he found 5 Yellowhammers, 40 Corn Buntings, 50 Redwings, 1 Sparrowhawk and 1 Common Buzzard.
At Grenham Bay this morning Terry Wilson recorded 10 Great Crested Grebes, 8 Gannets, 2 Fulmars, 6 Great Black-backed Gulls, 35 Cormorants, 3 Turnstone and 1 Pied Wagtail.
This afternoon Matt and I walked the Chamber's Wall/Coldharbour/Green Wall loop and saw 36 Redwings, 2 Fieldfares, 25 Corn Buntings, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Coot, 1 Curlew, 38 Mallard, 1 Little Egret, 21 Golden Plover (86th), 1 Teal, 1 Little Grebe, 3 Redshank, 6 Oystercatchers, 1 Grey Plover, 5 Shelduck, 3 Grey Partridges (87th) and 8 Greylag Geese (88th).
This afternoon Chris Tedder saw a Merlin (89th) flying over the sea at Reculver.

Merlin - Chris Tedder

Thursday 3 January 2019

January 3rd
On a beautiful winter's morning we began by walking around the Shuart area where we counted 2 Greenfinches (80th), 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers drumming at each other, 4 Ring-necked Parakeets, 22 Goldfinches, 13 Mute Swans, 12 Dark-bellied Brent Geese flying over the seawall, 3 Common Buzzards, 3 Redshank, 1 Fieldfare, 4 Redwings, 1 Green Woodpecker, 23 Blackbirds, 38 Mallard and 1 Grey Heron.
On our way home we dropped in at Reculver and recorded 2 Common Buzzards, 1 Black Swan, 10 Mute Swans, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Bullfinch (81st) and 2 Redwings.

Black Swan

Wednesday 2 January 2019

January 2nd
There was a chilly NW wind blowing this morning as we walked along the seawall to Coldharbour. Birds we saw included 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 1 Peregrine, 1 Curlew, 260 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 113 Oystercatchers E, 52 Ringed Plovers, 7 Turnstone, 2 Dunlin, 14 Linnets, 12 Mallard, 120 Lapwings, 1 Little Egret, 2 Stonechats, 1 Gannet W and 2 Snow Buntings (79th).

Male Snow Bunting

Tuesday 1 January 2019

January 1st
2019 dawned bright and breezy as we completed our annual attempt to see as many birds as possible on the first day of the year in the Reculver recording area. In the event it was a bit of a struggle and Anne and I only managed to record 65 species.
We began at first light at Reculver where we recorded 32 Mute Swans, 2 Teal, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 7 Redwings, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Common Buzzard, 86 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Great Northern Diver, 34 Oystercatchers and 2 Red-throated Divers.
After this we drove to Chamber's Wall and walked along the railway embankment and Green Wall and on to Coldharbour. We recorded 7 Corn Buntings, 58 Fieldfares, 55 Redwings, 1 Common Buzzard, the Great Northern Diver drifting back east, 1 Fulmar flying W over the Oyster Farm, 4 Turnstone, 4 Ringed Plovers, 1 Little Grebe, 3 Linnets, 1 Little Egret, 7 Redshank, 3 Mallard, 3 Goldfinches, 2 Stonechats and 7 Coot.
From here we drove to Shuart where we spent half an hour and recorded 6 Ring-necked Parakeets, 6 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Chiffchaffs, 1 Marsh Harrier, 2 Jays, 1 Barn Owl, 66 Mallard and 1 Teal.
We then went home for a bite to eat and this afternoon birded at Minnis and Grenham Bays where we added 1 Gannet, 8 Curlew, 22 Dunlin, 16 Ringed Plovers, 4 Grey Plovers, 40 Oystercatchers, 3 Little Egrets, 21 Great Crested Grebes and 15 Dark-bellied Brent Geese.
Marc Heath and Julian and Alex Perry were also out all day and ended up with 74 species. Among the species they saw that we did not were, Shelduck, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Lapwing, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Short-eared Owl, Kingfisher and Yellowhammer.
With these species included the day's total was 78.