March 5th

It was a miserable and drizzly morning as Anne and I visited Reculver and Shuart. At Reculver we counted 1 Pied Wagtail, 12 Mallard, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 12 Coot, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 16 Cormorants, 10 Tufted Duck, 6 Gadwall, 3 Little Grebes and 2 Long-tailed Tits and at Shuart we saw 3 Green Woodpeckers, 4 Ring-necked Parakeets, 49 Linnets, 30 Chaffinches, 1 Red-legged Partridge, 1 Kestrel, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 10 Tufted Duck, 29 Teal, 3 Mallard and 4 Goldfinches. 

Our morning was brightened up considerably when we received a call from Matt to say he had found an extremely early male Ring Ouzel  flying around and calling at the caravan bushes (129th). We arrived five minutes later and managed to see it before it flew into the Oyster Farm.

Record shot of the Ring Ouzel - Matt Hindle

 Before Matt found the Ring Ouzel he had walked from Reculver to Plumpudding and back counting 2 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Shelduck, 21 Cetti's Warblers, 16 Curlews, 145 Common Scoter, 30 Carrion Crows, 1 Rook on the beach, 3 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Little Grebes, 7 Gadwall, 2 Red-throated Divers, 165 Oystercatchers, 45 Sanderling, 6 Dunlin, 35 Turnstone, 12 Grey Plovers, 3 Snipe, 14 Redshank, 3 Stonechats, 4 Canada Geese, 3 Common Buzzards, 8 Little Egrets, 21 Lapwings, 1 Shoveler, 3 Teal, 4 Coot, 5 Redwings, 1 Water Rail, 2 Corn Buntings and 191 Dark-bellied Brent Geese.