Snow Geese

Today was a visit to RSPB Dungeness. again a before sun up start to avoid the traffic and as I always say the "early birder gets the photograph". Although the sky was blue and the sun was out there was a wicked easterly wind whipping across Dungeness straight through the window of the Hanson Hide. Not surprisingly there was little about, all the ususal suspects of the duck world and a speculative visit by one of the many Marsh Harriers stirred things up a bit and ducks were soon in front of the hide in numbers - by far the most numerous were the Shovelers.



Marsh Harrier



Shovelers

My enthusiasm soon wilted and I went back to the car after about an hour. I was in the car park enjoying a nice cup of tea when I heard "Clang clang clang"  repeatedly. The sound had a familar rhythm but the note was definitely different. It didn't take long to find the source - my first ever Great Spotted Metalpecker. He obviously thought that the post was a tree but beak on metal can't have been doing him any good. By the look of the post this isn't the first visit - plenty of scars.




Great Spotted Metalpecker

Next stop was Denge Marsh hide, and again the water was sparsely populated, the major species being Greylag geese, but on a field at the back of the lake - 7 white dots, feral Snow Geese! A wandering harrier flushed them on to the lake but before they landed I was treated to a fly past.




Snow Geese




Snow Geese



Snow Goose

The Visitor Centre offered little to raise the pulse - lots of birds recorded during the week but nothing of note today. On my way home I passed Scotney Pit and just 100 yards into Sussex there on the grassy bank - 7 white dots - the same Snow Geese grazing peacefully.




Snow Goose



Snow Geese