Gull-billed Tern ( Lifer ) at Dungeness +

As we have been doing lately we head off to where Brian has been a day or so before, hate this not being able to go together in one car as we normally do.

We decided around 10 am to try for what would be a lifer for both of us as the Gull-billed Tern has been reported again on Arc pit, the weather report is not in our favour with a lot of rain about, but if you don't try you are not going to get anywhere, as Brian's blog says if you get out there you might just see something.

A trouble-free journey sees us arrive around noon.as we drive along Dungeness Road we see a small group are looking over Arc pit & look as if they might be on the Tern, so I drop Jimmy off so he can start scanning while I park the car further down off the road & get myself back up there to find Jimmy has the Lifer insight & I'm onto it straight away so well worth the 2-hour trip to get really great views as it flies up down the pit, we spend 20 minutes with the Gull before we get ourselves back to the car & off this dangerous road with very little grass verge to stand on & the cars are not going slow past us.

Off now for the Black-winged Stilt at the other end of the pit, the car park is open so we park in there & walk down to the screen.

The viewing screen is boarded up so so along with all the others we stand halfway up the bank & think this will be an easy year tick as it had been reported only a few minutes ago,2 hours later after getting a good soaking we manage to see the Stilt as it comes out onto the scrape along with some sunshine, so we have the two ticks we came for.

The Gull-billed Tern 

Brian texts to say he has just got a Quail not far from home in Hertfordshire so that's tomorrow booked up.