I had to go to Margate today, and on the way back I noticed that the tide was right up in Pegwell Bay. I called into the Restharrow Scrape hoping that the tide had displaced some waders to the scrape.
Most of the activity was at the far end and a small party of gulls had gathered there. This mainly consisted of Herring Gulls along with a few Great Black-backed Gulls. The one in the foreground is a 3rd summer Great Black-back and it has a rather strange piebald appearance in this plumage.
There were a couple of migrant waders on the scrape, a distant Greenshank betrayed its presence with a few tu-tu-tu calls and a Green Sandpiper, to far away to photo. At this time of the "summer" I suppose that they are probably non-breeders, although I do know that some male Green Sandpipers spend very little time on their Arctic breeding grounds, leaving after doing their duty, but not hanging round to help with the kids!
The resident Lapwings and Oystercatchers were around, the young Oystercatchers are now nearly as large as the adults. While I was watching quite a large group of Lapwings arrived to use the facilities, I suppose that there were a post-breeding flock,.
I did have a first while I sat there. I often hear Corn Buntings singing and they sometimes come quite close to the hide, but this is the first time one's came down to drink right in front of me.
Corn Buntings will often raise two broods and occasionally three, I wonder what our non-existent summer has down to their breeding season?
At the old barn, opposite the Chequers, I though that it was rather considerate of this Little Owl to do the framing for me.
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