The alarm went off well before 5am again today and i could hear the wind blowing strongly outside, so it was with great excitement I headed off to Reculver towers in anticipation of the first proper seawatch of the year. When I arrived I found Marc Heath and Phil Parker already set up and gazing out at an empty sea. To be fair, there were a few terns, and one or two Gannets drifting by, but it soon became apparent that we had misjudged the wind direction, it was way too far west to blow any birds towards Reculver. Never mind, a bit of banter and plenty of snacks and the time passed as we waited for the wind to change direction. I gave up at 9:30am having witnessed the passing of a few hundred Sandwich and Common Terns and a single distant skua.
A quick visit to Chambers Wall was uneventful, though the alarm calls of the Swallows alerted me first to a passing Hobby, then a Sparrowhawk drifting along the hedge.
After lunch I headed over to Temple Ewell to try for Silver-spotted Skipper, but despite walking miles around the reserve I failed again. However I did manage to find a few Dingy Skippers, a Large Skipper, a couple of fresh Adonis Blues, a few Chalkhill Blues, some tatty Common Blues and loads of Small Heaths, Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns.
Nice shots Derek, keep it up.
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